G2G: Newspaper Clipping Found with Photos

Question

I found an old newspaper clipping with the family photos that has a lot of valuable information and a photograph, celebrating Grobler-2448's 90th birthday. The clipping includes the newspaper's name and the date (1988). It seems to have been a local newspaper for the area.I have scanned the article and would like to somehow cite it as a source. It does not exist online anywhere that I can find.

Should I upload the scan to Wikitree? How should I proceed in using/citing it as a source?

Answer 1

Evidence Explained says (in section 3.36)

'News clippings in private collections often do not identify the newspaper or the date the item was published. When this occurs, you should note the absence of that information and add the provenance of the item. That provenance will typically include the identity of the current owner and how that owner came to acquire it.'

Here's a sample:

"F. J. Hensel, Sr., Is Dead at 80," undated clipping, ca. mid-1950s, from unidentified newspaper; Walls Family Papers, privately held by Patricia (Walls) Stamm. [I deleted the address; presumably you'll link to your profile] Inherited in 1992 by Mrs Stamm from her mother Stella (Paddock) Walls, wife of John M. Walls of Wilmington, Delaware.'

You can, of course add the information on the clipping.

Since you don't know the copyright status of the article, I would say that you should not upload an image. But you can, of course, summarize the content.

(edited to add a clarification)

Answer 2

Hi Samantha,

First off, here is an earlier G2G discussion that you may find helpful: https://www.wikitree.com/g2g/1369422/obituaries-ok-to-transcribe?show=1369422#q1369422

I also have quite a few of those old obituary newspaper clippings in my files. After reading the discussion linked above, here is the procedure I have been using:

• try to find source details (publication name, article date, page and column numbers). Sometimes online databases of old newspapers or microfilmed archives will reveal this info, but sometimes not. Your local public library or the library in the town of the deceased person can be a great place to find help with this;
• Transcribe the obituary into a word processing document. For older obits, I transcribe as exactly as I can -- typos and all; for newer ones, you can edit out names of the living or use a covering phrase like "12 grandchildren."
• Display the obit document on your device and take a screenshot that you can save to a .jpg file (I use the snipping tool that comes with MS Windows).
• Upload the image file to the WT profile, indicating at the end of the upload form that the image is a Source.

This procedure allows me to cite and quote the obit source and to share its content for others. It often has the advantage also of being more legible than a microfilm photocopy or digital scan.

Here is an example of a profile in which I used that procedure: Davies-16122

I hope that will help you decide how to use the newspaper clipping. 

Answer 3

Since you have the newspaper name and the date, you have sufficient info to do a detailed source citation. Harry's citation is a reasonable model.

When it comes to the actual text and copyright, this is complicated. The text is under copyright since it was published after 1927 and more specifically after 1978 when the copyright notice was no longer required. That said, it may be covered under the fair use doctrine. I don't post anything that isn't public domain just to be safe.

The method Jeff refers to doesn't get around copyright. It is a way to get around the licensing terms a website puts on images. A transcription of the exact words would still be subject to copyright. Data extractions are not copyrightable so extracting the data is always acceptable.