The Berkeley Beacon

Student newspaper of Emerson College, Boston

The Berkeley Beacon

Type	Student newspaper
Format	Broadsheet
Founded	February 13, 1947; 77 years ago (1947-02-13)
Headquarters	Boston, Massachusetts, United States
Website	www.berkeleybeacon.com

The Berkeley Beacon is the student newspaper of Emerson College, founded in 1947. The paper is published weekly on Thursdays during the fall and spring semesters of Emerson's academic year.

In 2012, the Beacon redesigned its website, making it the first college newspaper website with a responsive design.^[1]

History

The first issue of The Berkeley Beacon was published on February 1, 1947, under the direction of editor-in-chief Paul Mundt.^[2] According to lore, the paper was named after the college's location; at the time, Emerson was situated in Back Bay, at the confluence of Berkeley Street and Beacon Street. However the name might actually refer to the famous weather beacon atop the Berkeley Building, which was completed the same year.^[3]^[4]

The Beacon has contributed to several student movements at the college, including the first student demonstration in Emerson history in 1968. It published a letter from the college president Richard Chapin decrying the Vietnam War. In 1977, an editorial in the Beacon pointed out a number of inaccuracies in a college report which was attempting to secure accreditation from the New England Association of Schools and Colleges. In 1997, the Beacon broke a story about a female student's on-campus sexual assault, which the administration had failed to address.^[2]

In April 2024, the Beacon covered the arrest of 118 student protesters during the nationwide demonstrations against the Israeli war in Gaza.^[5] Its reporting was cited by both local and national outlets.^[6]^[7]

Notable alumni

Morton Dean, television correspondent and news anchor for CBS Evening News and Good Morning America
Ben Collins, media and disinformation reporter for NBC News
Brendan McCarthy, investigative editor for The Boston Globe's "Spotlight" team and 2021 Pulitzer Prize winner^[8]
Dan Bigman, former business editor of The New York Times and managing editor of Forbes
Matt Porter, Boston Bruins beat writer for The Boston Globe
Diti Kohli, business reporter for The Boston Globe and "Spotlight" team contributor^[9]
Andrew Brinker, housing reporter for The Boston Globe and "Spotlight" team contributor^[9]
Tori Bedford, Emmy-nominated reporter for WGBH Radio
Molly Driscoll, former culture editor for The Christian Science Monitor
Cyndi Roy Gonzalez, former communications director for Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey
Nathan Hurst, political editor for C-SPAN
Chris Van Buskirk, state house reporter for the Boston Herald
Dylan Rossiter, publisher for consumer products State House News Service
Parker Purifoy, labor reporter for Bloomberg Law

References

^ Phelps, Andrew. "Emerson College student paper completes a fully responsive, mobile-friendly redesign". Nieman Journalism Lab. Retrieved 10 April 2012.
^ ^a ^b "Celebrating 73 years of The Berkeley Beacon". The Berkeley Beacon. February 6, 2020.
^ "Landmark: The Berkeley Beacon". Boston Magazine. 12 January 2010. Retrieved 28 April 2024.
^ "Berkeley Weather Beacon".
^ "Developing story: The latest on 2 Boylston Place "Popular University Encampment"". The Berkeley Beacon. 25 April 2024. Retrieved 25 April 2024.
^ Ryan, Aidan (28 April 2024). "'You want to get it right': As Gaza protests roil Emerson, student journalists at center of dispute". The Boston Globe.
^ Murphy Marcos, Coral (27 April 2024). "Columbia University calls for inquiry into leadership as student protests sweep 40 campuses". The Guardian.
^ Baez, Valentina. "Emerson alum Brendan McCarthy named new Globe Spotlight editor". The Berkeley Beacon.
^ ^a ^b Arsenault, Mark (Oct 25, 2023). "In towns like Milton, home prices are a threat to prosperity. But they don't have to be". The Boston Globe.

External links

Official website

Massachusetts newspapers

Current

Barnstable County

The Barnstable Patriot (1830–)
Cape Cod Times (1936–)

Berkshire County

The Berkshire Eagle (1892–)

Bristol County

Taunton Daily Gazette (1848–)
The Standard-Times (1850–)
The Herald News (1892–)
The Sun Chronicle (1971–)
The Advocate (1979–)

Dukes County

Vineyard Gazette (1846–)
The Martha's Vineyard Times (1984–)

Essex County

North Andover	Haverhill Gazette (1821–) The Eagle-Tribune (1868–)
Others	Salem Gazette (1790–) The Daily Item (1876–) The Salem News (1880–) The Daily News of Newburyport (1887–) Gloucester Daily Times (1888–) The Jewish Journal (1976–) Rumbo (1996–)

Franklin County

The Recorder (1792–)

Hampden County

The Republican (1824–)
The Westfield News

Hampshire County

Amherst	The Massachusetts Daily Collegian (1890–) El Sol Latino (2004–)
Others	Daily Hampshire Gazette (1786–)

Middlesex County

Cambridge	The Harvard Crimson (1873–) The Tech (1881–) Spare Change News (1992–)
Watertown	Hairenik (1899–) Baikar (1922–) The Armenian Mirror-Spectator (1939–) Armenian Weekly (1969–)
Others	Stoneham Independent (1870–) The Sun (1878–) The Wakefield Daily Item (1894–) The MetroWest Daily News (1897–) Daily Times Chronicle (1901–) The Tufts Daily (1980–)

Nantucket County

The Inquirer and Mirror (1821–)

Norfolk County

The Pilot (1829–)
The Patriot Ledger (1837–)
The Wellesley Townsman (1906–)
The Medfield Press (1922–)
The Westwood Press (1987–)

Plymouth County

Old Colony Memorial (1822–)
Middleboro Gazette (1852–)
The Enterprise (1881–)
The Wanderer (1992–)

Suffolk County

Boston

Boston Herald (1846–)
The Boston Globe (1872–)
The Christian Science Monitor (1908–)
The Huntington News (1926–)
The Suffolk Journal (1936–)
The Berkeley Beacon (1947–)
Bay State Banner (1965–)
The Daily Free Press (1970–)
Sampan (1972–)
World Journal (1976–)
Boston Business Journal (1981–)
Bay Windows (1983–)
Dorchester Reporter (1983–)
West Ender Newsletter (1985–)
Metro (1995–)
DigBoston (1999–)
El Planeta (2004–)

Others

Revere Journal (1881–)
Winthrop Sun Transcript (1956–)

Worcester County

Milford	The Milford Daily News (1887–) The Country Gazette (1981–)
Others	Sentinel & Enterprise (1838–) Telegram & Gazette (1866–) The Gardner News (1869–) Southbridge Evening News (1923–) Athol Daily News (1934–) Fifty Plus Advocate (1975–) Blackstone Valley Tribune (2008–)

Defunct

Boston	The Boston News-Letter (1704–1776) Boston Gazette (1719–1798) The New-England Courant (1721–1726) The Weekly Rehearsal (1731–1735) Boston Post-Boy (1734–1754) Boston Evening-Post (1735–1775) American Magazine and Historical Chronicle (1743–1746) The Independent Advertiser (1748–?) Boston Weekly Advertiser (1757–1775) Boston Chronicle (1767–1770) Independent Chronicle (1768–1840) Massachusetts Spy (1770–1776) Independent Ledger and the American Advertiser (1778–1786) American Herald (1784–1790) Herald of Freedom (1788–1791) Columbian Centinel (1790–1840) American Apollo (1792–1794) Constitutional Telegraphe (1799–1802) New-England Repertory (1804–1820) Boston Patriot (1809–?) Boston Weekly Messenger (1811–1861) Boston Daily Advertiser (1813–1929) Boston Courier (1824–1915) Boston Evening Transcript (1830–1941) Boston Investigator (1831–1904) The Boston Post (1831–1956) Boston Atlas (1832–1857) The Universalist and Ladies' Repository (1832–1873) The Boston Journal (1833–1917) Boston Evening Traveller (1845–1967) The Flag of Our Union (1846–?) The Heathen Woman's Friend (1869–1940) The Morning Star (c. 1874–c. 1911) The Boston Record (1884–?) New Nation (1891–1894) Boston Guardian (1901–c. 1950) The Jewish Advocate (1902–2020) Boston American (1904–1961) Dielli (1909–2006) The Revolutionary Age (1918–1919) The Phoenix (1966–2013) Avatar (1967–1968) Fag Rag (1971–c. 1987) Gay Community News (1973–1992) In Newsweekly (1991–2008) The Boston Courant (1995–2016) BostonNOW (2007–2008)
Cambridge	Cambridge Chronicle (1846–2022) The Cambridge Tribune (1878–1966) MIT Tech Talk (1957–2009) Old Mole (1968–1970) The Real Paper (1972–1981)
Fitchburg	Voice of Industry (1845–1848) Raivaaja (1905–2009) Liberté de Fitchburg (1909–?)
Holyoke	Holyoke Transcript-Telegram (1849–1993) Neu England Rundschau (1883–1942) La Justice (1903–1964) Gwiazda (1923–1956)
Nantucket	The Nantucket Beacon (1989–1998) Nantucket Independent (2003–2010)
Newburyport	Newburyport Herald (1797–1915) New-England Repertory (1803–1804)
Salem	Salem Register (1800–c. 1911) Salem Observer (1823–1919)
Worcester	Worcester Spy (1770–?) Eteenpäin (1922–1931)
Others	North Adams Transcript (1843–2014) The Daily News Tribune (1863–2010) The Daily News Transcript (1870–2009) Somerville Journal (1870–2022) Malden Evening News (1880–2017) Medford Daily Mercury (1880–2017) Enterprise-Sun (1889–1995) Springfield Daily News (1911–1987) Editorial Humor (1989–2003) The Taunton Call (?–2008)