berkeleybeacon.com

The Berkeley Beacon covers Emerson College campus news, academic and study-abroad programming, Boston-area stories, and opinion content. It is Emerson College's only independent, student-run newspaper, published online daily and in print on Thursdays during the academic year. If you want reporting on Emerson's administration, student government, campus facilities, and the college's presence in Boston, this is the publication to follow.

Campus news

The Beacon's core beat is Emerson itself. Recent coverage includes:

• Student government: Reporting on the Student Government Association's first general assembly of the semester, including the new executive team of Executive President Jazzy Compton and Executive Vice President Charlie Cocozza.
• Campus facilities: The official opening of the Cutler-Winn Commons at the corner of Tremont and Boylston, including remarks by President Jay Bernhardt honoring Teddy Cutler.
• Enrollment and administration: Stories such as Emerson's "significant" enrollment increase after years of decline, and the college's partnership with the architecture firm HDR Inc.
• Student life: Events like the Emerson ASL Club's first Deaf Coffee Chat, which brought students together to practice American Sign Language outside the classroom.

Academic and study-abroad programs

The Beacon treats global and academic programming as a regular subject, not an occasional feature. Examples from its coverage:

• The annual Emerson Study Abroad Fair, held at the Bill Bordy Theater, which the paper described as a one-stop destination for students exploring foreign programs.
• The Kasteel Well program, which turned forty this year — the Beacon examined what kind of legacy the Netherlands program is leaving.

This makes the paper useful if you are a prospective or current student weighing overseas options, or an alum tracking how these programs evolve.

Boston and Massachusetts news

The Beacon also reports on the city and state where Emerson sits:

• A Massachusetts 9/11 fund commemoration at the State House marking the 25th anniversary and honoring victims and everyday heroes.
• The Great Elephant Migration public art installation leaving Boston's Back Bay.
• A police investigation into an early morning incident on Boston Common that left one person dead.

These stories connect the college community to the wider city rather than covering Boston as a separate, general-interest beat.

Opinion, comics, and letters

The opinion section runs alongside the news desk and includes:

• Op-Eds, such as a piece on "The Kissing Booth" and how bad-boy rom-coms affect relationships.
• Comics, including the strip "Fake IDs only."
• Letters from the editor, such as the Editor-in-Chief's statement that the Beacon stands with the White House press pool.

The paper also disclosed its own involvement in at least one story: it was a co-sponsor of an event supporting journalists after a judge blocked a media ban, and Editor-In-Chief Katie Cressman gave remarks there. That kind of transparency note is worth watching for if you want to distinguish straight reporting from the paper's own advocacy.

What this means for you

One caveat: the Beacon is student-run and independent of the college, so its reporting reflects student journalists' priorities and resources. It publishes online daily and in print on Thursdays during the academic year — outside that window, expect lighter output.

The Berkeley Beacon is Emerson College's only independent, student-run newspaper, and you can read it at berkeleybeacon.com, where content is published online daily. During the academic year, a print edition comes out on Thursdays. If you're an Emerson student, the paper also functions as a place to gain professional journalism experience. The sections below cover how to read it, what it covers, and how students typically participate.

Reading The Berkeley Beacon

The Beacon describes itself as publishing content online daily and in print on Thursdays throughout the academic year. That gives you two ways to follow it:

• Online: berkeleybeacon.com is the primary daily outlet. The homepage carries current stories across news, campus, metro, opinion, and other sections.
• Print: The Thursday print edition runs during the academic year, so coverage pauses or changes cadence outside that window.

If you want to follow a specific topic rather than browse, the site organizes stories by section (for example, Campus, Metro, Opinion, and Sports-style categories visible in its navigation), so you can go straight to the area you care about.

What The Beacon Covers

Based on the reporting visible on the site, coverage falls into a few recognizable buckets:

The through-line is Emerson and its surrounding Boston community, written by students for the Emerson community.

Is It Independent From the College?

Yes — the Beacon describes itself as Emerson College's only independent, student-run newspaper, and it has operated in that role since 1947. "Independent" here means it is not the college's official communications arm; it is run by students and produces its own editorial content. That distinction matters when you read opinion pieces or editorials, which reflect the paper's or writers' views rather than the administration's.

How Students Get Involved

The paper states that one of its aims is to give students opportunities to gain professional experience. In practice, that means student involvement spans reporting, editing, photography, design, and production rather than a single role. If you're an Emerson student interested in participating, the practical path is:

1. Read the paper first to understand its sections and voice.
2. Look for contact or masthead information on the site, which lists editorial roles and how to reach them.
3. Reach out about the area you want to work in — writing, visuals, or production.

The Beacon also co-sponsors events; for example, it was a listed co-sponsor of a gathering of journalists in solidarity after a court blocked a media ban, and its editor-in-chief gave remarks there. That's a reminder that involvement isn't limited to filing stories — the paper shows up in the community too.

Quick Answers

• Where do I read it? berkeleybeacon.com, updated daily.
• Is there a print edition? Yes, on Thursdays during the academic year.
• Is it run by the college? No — it's independent and student-run, founded in 1947.
• Can students join? Yes; the paper exists partly to give students professional experience, and you can inquire through the contact details on its site.

Yes. The Berkeley Beacon describes itself as Emerson College's only independent, student-run newspaper, and it has operated that way since 1947. "Independent" here means the paper is not the college's official communications office and its editorial decisions are made by students rather than college administrators. That said, it is still a campus publication tied to the Emerson community — it covers Emerson closely and draws its staff from Emerson students.

What "independent" and "student-run" actually mean

The distinction matters because colleges often have two very different kinds of publications:

• Official channels — run by the college's marketing or communications staff, they present the institution's positions and are accountable to administrators.
• Independent student press — run by students who report, write, and edit on their own editorial judgment, with the goal of giving readers accurate, original reporting.

The Beacon places itself in the second category. Its stated aims are to deliver original and accurate reporting to the Emerson community and to give students professional journalism experience. Editors and reporters are students, not college employees speaking for the administration.

Why this affects what you read there

Because the paper is student-edited rather than institutionally controlled, its coverage can include topics that an official college outlet might handle differently or avoid. Examples visible on the site include:

• College partnerships and controversies — e.g., reporting on Emerson's partnership with the architecture firm HDR Inc., described as a multi-billion-dollar firm "embroiled in controversy" over its role in building prisons.
• Enrollment and institutional change — e.g., coverage of a "significant" enrollment increase after years of decline.
• Campus life and programs — e.g., the Study Abroad Fair, the Kasteel Well program's 40th year, and the opening of the Cutler-Winn Commons.
• Student government — e.g., the Student Government Association's first meeting of the semester.

Opinion and editorials are not the college's position

The Beacon runs opinion content — comics, op-eds, letters from the editor — that reflects the views of the individual writers, not Emerson College. A letter from the editor, for instance, can take a stance on a national press-freedom issue without that position representing the administration. If you're citing the Beacon, treat news reporting, opinion pieces, and editorials as separate categories with different weight.

A practical way to judge any given article

The short version

The Berkeley Beacon is independent in the sense that matters most for readers: students decide what to cover and how, and the paper is not the college's official voice. It is still an Emerson publication in its audience, staffing, and focus — so read it as student journalism about Emerson, not as Emerson's own messaging.

The Berkeley Beacon is Emerson College's only independent, student-run newspaper, published since 1947. It delivers original reporting to the Emerson community while giving students hands-on professional journalism experience. If you're looking for Emerson campus news, student government coverage, or Boston-area reporting written and edited by students, this is the publication to follow.

Who runs it

The Beacon is independent and student-run — it is not a communications office or a department publication. That distinction matters: editorial decisions, reporting, and production are handled by students rather than college administrators. The paper describes itself as Emerson's only independent, student-run newspaper and has operated under that model since 1947.

What it publishes

Content centers on the Emerson community and the surrounding Boston area. Based on its current front page, typical coverage includes:

• Campus news — for example, the annual Study Abroad Fair, the opening of the Cutler-Winn Commons, and Student Government Association meetings
• College policy and partnerships — such as reporting on Emerson's partnership with the architecture firm HDR Inc.
• Program coverage — including stories on the Kasteel Well program's fortieth anniversary and enrollment trends
• Opinion and commentary — editorials, op-eds, and comics, including letters from the Editor-in-Chief
• Metro/Boston news — such as the Massachusetts 9/11 fund commemoration and police investigations in the city

The mix means you get both institution-specific reporting and broader local coverage, all produced by student journalists.

When and how it publishes

The Beacon maintains two formats:

So if you want timely updates, the website is the place to check; if you want the print edition, look for it on Thursdays while classes are in session.

Why it exists beyond the news

The publication has an explicit educational mission: it provides students with opportunities to gain professional experience. That means the Beacon functions as both a news outlet for readers and a working newsroom for Emerson students — reporting, editing, photography, and production are all learning-by-doing roles.

Who it's for

• Emerson students, faculty, and staff who want independent coverage of their campus
• Prospective students and families trying to understand Emerson culture and current issues
• Boston-area readers interested in local stories with a campus perspective
• Student journalists looking at how a student-run paper operates

If you need official college announcements, check Emerson's own channels — the Beacon is independent, so its reporting may differ from or go beyond what the college itself publishes.