Who writes for The Beaver and how is its content produced?

Updated

The Beaver (thebeaverlse.co.uk) is the London School of Economics Students' Union's award-winning student newspaper, and its content is produced by student writers, editors, and illustrators rather than by LSE itself. Articles carry individual bylines — for example, a piece on Graduate Visa changes is credited to author Alba Azzarello and illustrator Serena Fadil — which tells you the paper operates as independent student journalism with editorial oversight, not as an official institutional mouthpiece.

Who is behind the content

The Beaver is written and run by students. The evidence on its homepage shows the standard byline structure of a student publication:

  • Writers are named student contributors (e.g., "Written by Alba Azzarello").
  • Illustrators are credited separately (e.g., "Illustrated by Serena Fadil"), so visuals are also student-produced.
  • Editorial oversight exists through the paper's editorial structure, which is why it describes itself as providing "news, commentary, and analysis."

This matters if you are citing The Beaver: treat it as student journalism with an editorial process, not as an official LSE statement or a peer-reviewed source.

What this means for how you read it

Because the paper is student-run, its output reflects student perspectives and campus debate. That has practical consequences:

If you want to… The Beaver is… Keep in mind
Follow campus news and student opinion A useful primary source It is student-written, so verify facts against official sources
Cite an institutional position Not the right source It is independent of LSE's official communications
Understand student reaction to policy Well suited Commentary and analysis reflect student viewpoints

How to judge a specific article

When you land on a piece, check three things before relying on it:

  1. The byline — who wrote it and who illustrated it. Named student contributors signal original student work.
  2. The section — headlines, news, and commentary are labeled, so you can tell reporting from opinion.
  3. The date — the homepage shows relative timestamps (e.g., "6 months ago"), so confirm how current a story is before using it.

For example, if you are researching international student visa changes, the Graduate Visa article is a student-written explainer with a named author and illustrator — useful for understanding student reaction, but you should cross-check the actual rule changes against official UK government sources.