RetroNews, the BnF press website
To strengthen the digitization and dissemination of press archives and make them more accessible to the public, BnF-Partenariats, a subsidiary of the Bibliothèque nationale de France (BnF), has developed RetroNews, an online press service dedicated to the editorial use and promotion of historical newspapers: retronews.fr.
With more than 2,000 digitized titles, regularly enriched, RetroNews is part of an initiative to provide access to press content and information. The service is now structured around two complementary platforms: RetroNews and RetroNews Edu. The former offers an editorial approach for the general public, combining press archives with journalistic treatment of current issues. The latter, designed for academic and educational audiences, provides resources tailored to teaching and research needs.
What is RetroNews?
Launched in 2016, RetroNews is an online press service of the Bibliothèque nationale de France that provides access to a vast corpus of newspapers published between 1631 and 1954.
Specializing in French press archives, RetroNews complements the heritage collections available on Gallica by offering an editorialized approach to content. It combines archive consultation, research tools, and the production of original editorial content. As such, RetroNews operates as a media outlet in its own right, drawing on press archives to offer contextualized perspectives on events and to contribute to a better understanding of current affairs.
RetroNews : a new way to explore information
RetroNews offers a user experience designed to facilitate access to information and its analysis. Its search engine enables efficient querying of a large corpus, while the viewer provides clear and structured access to newspaper pages.
These features are designed to support seamless exploration of content, serving the needs of information access, research, and understanding.
RetroNews as a media platform : editorial Content
RetroNews publishes original editorial content (articles, videos, podcasts) produced by a team of journalists, historians, and researchers.
This content is based on the selection, analysis, and contextualization of press archives. It provides a journalistic treatment of topics, placing past events in perspective with contemporary issues.
The platform also offers thematic and chronological pathways that allow users to explore historical events as they were reported in the press, contributing to a better understanding of how information has been produced and perceived over time.
Archives are freely accessible, along with part of the editorial content. A subscription provides access to the full range of editorial content and advanced features.
RetroNews as an archive database: advanced search
RetroNews provides access to a press corpus covering more than three centuries (1631–1954), including major titles (Le Petit Parisien, Le Figaro, Le Journal, Le Matin) as well as a wide range of publications (political, regional, cultural, satirical, specialized, etc.), reflecting the diversity of journalistic expression.
This corpus is regularly expanded and freely accessible.
All documents are processed using OCR and semantic enrichment, enabling precise and in-depth searches.
Advanced search functionalities and analytical tools, available by subscription, allow users to explore and use these resources for information, research, and study purposes.
RetroNews for education, research, and institutions
RetroNews is also available through institutional subscriptions for higher education institutions, schools, and cultural organizations.
The RetroNews Edu platform has been specifically designed to meet the needs of these audiences. It provides access to more than 18 million pages of press archives, supplemented by contemporary press archives available under licensing agreements with publishers. It includes features adapted to teaching and research, as well as editorial content that supports a critical and contextualized approach to information.
Access to RetroNews Edu is reserved for institutions that have subscribed to a collective license, which also includes access to RetroNews.
Public libraries benefit from access to RetroNews, along with RetroNews Edu, under the same licensing framework.
- Learn more about collective subscriptions for universities and schools
- Learn more about collective subscriptions for public libraries
RetroNews and Lumni: free educational access
Through a partnership with Lumni, RetroNews provides free access to a selection of educational articles and teaching resources for students from CM1 (4th grade) to Terminale (12th grade). This offers a glimpse into the wealth of RetroNews content for the educational community.
Learn more about the RetroNews | Lumni partnership for schools
Commercial licenses for press archives
Finally, BnF-Partenariats issues and manages non-exclusive commercial licenses for the reuse of historical press archives available on RetroNews.
Learn more about commercial licensing options
Contact and support
The RetroNews team supports institutions and partners in developing editorial or documentary projects based on press archives.
They are also available for any inquiries related to subscriptions, institutional access, or professional use of the service.
