Types of News results

Searching for news

AltaVista News supports all search commands also used on web search. Just type your query into the search box, as usual.

• If you enter multiple words, AltaVista returns only articles that have all of the words.
• To exclude words, put a minus in front of them.
• To require an exact phrase, put it in quotes.
• Use Boolean commands like AND, OR, or ANDNOT.

You can also narrow your search by selecting a topic, a language, a region or country, a certain news source or a specific date range from the drop-down menus within the search box. You're able to drill down into even more specific refinement using two or three of these dimensions.

Search by specific date

The date menu in the search box lets you select news from today to more than a year ago. We automatically search the past two weeks.
If you select "Date range..." in the menu, the form expands so you can enter specific dates, for example 11/3/02 to 11/5/02.
AltaVista News defines dates using GMT time. For a time zone converter, go here.

Finding articles with photos

To find articles that have photos, check the "Only articles with images" checkbox next to the FIND button. This is especially useful when you want to better visualize a story or find a particular image.
When you begin another News search on a different subject, be sure to uncheck the checkbox.

Search on a specific site

You can use the "host:" command to find articles from a specific site only.

• Want to read what the New York Times is writing about President Bush? host:nytimes.com president bush
• Want to read the latest stories from CNN on any topic? Search for host:cnn.com.

Search in a specific country

You can use the "domain:" command to find articles from a specific top-level domain only. Domain/Country Code Index

• Want to know what the UK newspapers are writing about Alan Greenspan? Search for domain:uk alan greenspan.
• Are you interested in what the Australian press is writing about Microsoft? Search for domain:au microsoft.

Search by URL

You can use the "url:" command to find articles that have a certain word in their URL.

• Want to find stories about Lance Armstrong in the Sports sections of news sites? Search for url:/sports/ lance armstrong.

Sorting your results

You can sort your results by relevancy or date. Sorting by relevancy elevates the articles that most closely relate to your query. Sorting by date elevates the most recent articles relating to your query.

Perusing the headlines

To see current headlines, select a topic from the list on the top of the page. Some topics also have sub-categories, which allow you to browse more deeply.

"More Info" page

The "More Info" link on a news result provides you with the following:

More detail about the article: source, publish date, URL, headline, complete abstract and word count

Actions: open in a new window, translate with AltaVista Babel Fish, go to the source's home page, get more articles from the source, find similar articles and find Top Stories for your search term