I think the quote of railroad rates from Shreveport to Monroe is a good example of how one should always be careful when using newspapers for research material because no railroad existed between the two towns during the Civil War. Newspapers provide some great information but they can be notoriously inaccurate (on many occasions they falsely reported generals killed or captured and/or tens of thousands of prisoners taken). I often tell my students that if they are going to use a newspaper as a source that they should make it clear in their narrative. For example, by stating that "The Richmond Times reported....." you protect yourself from making a factual error if the report proves to be untrue. You are only stating what the newspaper reported.