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Emerson College’s only independent, student-run newspaper since 1947

The Berkeley Beacon

Emerson College’s only independent, student-run newspaper since 1947

The Berkeley Beacon

Emerson College’s only independent, student-run newspaper since 1947

The Berkeley Beacon

Op-Ed

Illustration Takara Bayley-Gale

Homesickness isn’t terminal

By Josie Arteaga, Opinion Editor / October 22, 2025

Over the weekend, major presidential elections took place in Bolivia, my home country. For the first time in almost 20 years, the long-reigning political...

Graphic Josefina Arteaga

From sexy nurses to funny Lorax costumes, women just cannot get it ‘right’

By Tess Gleason and Bella Nordman / October 22, 2025

Our TikTok feeds have been inundated with girls dressed as the Lorax—wearing neon orange nylon bodysuits stuffed with pillows for bellies, big fluffy...

Graphic Mia McDermott

My English isn’t your English

By Soham Gupta, Beacon Contributor / October 22, 2025

I have just moved to the United States. The English here is not what I learnt at home. As an international student from India attending a liberal arts...

Graphic Charlie Desjardins

The hidden violence of ‘gotcha’ street interviews

By Brooke Lelia, Beacon Contributor / October 15, 2025

“Hey, do you have time for a quick interview?” It was a question I had heard before, many times, on the streets of Boston. The people who asked...

Graphic Josie Arteaga

Blaming the pandemic is so 2020

By Tess Gleason, Senior Opinion Columnist / October 15, 2025

In my sociology class last semester, one of my classmates attributed the increased aggression and fighting among middle school and high school students...

Illustration Molly Boyke

Fizz gets a downvote from me

By Ella Duggan, Content Managing Editor / October 8, 2025

Delete Fizz.  Right now. I’m serious. If you close whatever browser you use, delete Fizz, and never open this article again, I will be happier than...

Graphic Mia McDermott

America’s campaign against autism is a travesty

By Charlie Desjardins, Dept. Opinion Editor / October 8, 2025

On Sept. 22, the Trump administration announced that, through “gold-standard science,” autism could be traced back to taking acetaminophen—commonly...

Illustration Mia McDermott

Bad luck isn’t the devil we want it to be

By Josie Arteaga, Opinion Editor / October 1, 2025

After a long, brutal summer, Boston felt like a much-needed clean slate. After all, I was moving into the dorm I wanted with my best friends, taking classes...

Graphic Charlie Desjardins

‘The Hunting Wives’ isn’t just a drama—it’s a timely political satire

By Brooke Lelia, Beacon Contributor / October 1, 2025

I was late to watching Netflix’s new hit show “The Hunting Wives” for a few reasons, but mostly because I was skeptical of its quality. I assumed...

Graphic Editorial Board

Unraveling social media’s performative outrage

By Pranati Kotamraju, Beacon Contributor / October 1, 2025

If there is one thing I’ve learned from being on social media, it’s that jokes are no longer tolerated in this society.  A simple video about a...

Illustration Mia McDermott

People aren’t talking about Gen Z’s ableism enough

By Tess Gleason, Senior Opinion Columnist / October 1, 2025

If your social media algorithm mainly consists of breaking news stories, book reviews, and cute dog videos, then chances are, like me, you probably use...

(Sam Shipman/Beacon Staff)

Kimmel is back. The First Amendment isn’t.

By Tyler Gelman, Beacon Contributor / September 24, 2025

In a country where free speech is enshrined in our Constitution and has been fiercely protected for almost 250 years, we have reached an impasse that will...

Illustration Lila Reimels

Do opposites attract? Not when it comes to politics

By Adelaide Brown, Beacon Contributor / September 17, 2025

The sexiest thing about a new relationship is the mystery. Nothing beats the anticipation and inability to predict your partner's thoughts or their next...

Graphic Ella Duggan & Josie Arteaga

Striving for heroin chic: Skinny culture has sickly side effects

By Pranati Kotamraju, Beacon Contributor / September 17, 2025

“Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels.” These were the famous words of Kate Moss, one of the most celebrated models of the ‘90s. Known for her...

Illustration Lila Reimels

Social media is ruining the college move-in experience

By Tess Gleason, Senior Opinion Columnist / September 17, 2025

College move-in has come and gone with the start of the new semester, and students across the country have settled into their new classes, dorms, and campus...

Courtesy Pete Souza

Why Hamilton continues to ‘Blow Us All Away’

By Mer Hughes, Multimedia Managing Editor & Layout Editor / September 10, 2025

How does a bastard, orphan, son of a whore sell out theaters after being on streaming for five years? Why did former President Barack Obama record a remix...

Graphic by Charlie Desjardins

Spotify stinks. What now?

By Charlie Desjardins, Dept. Opinion Editor / September 10, 2025

Following the announcement of Spotify co-founder Daniel Ek’s $693.6 million investment in AI military drone company Helsing, I can’t say I’m too...

Graphic Madalyn Jimiera

All the world’s a stage, and today, so is your TV

By Madalyn Jimiera, Dept. Campus Editor / September 10, 2025

With the stress of schoolwork off my shoulders over the summer, I was able to dive back into one of my lifelong pleasures: theater. While I tend to stay...

A pride flag hung on a business in Doylestown, Pennsylvania on July 3, 2025. (Madalyn Jimiera / Beacon Staff)

The LGBTQ+ suicide lifeline is more than just a number

By Madalyn Jimiera, Dept. Campus Editor / July 3, 2025

988, press 3.  These are the four simple numbers that could save a queer person’s life, yet some deem them as a threat. On July 17, 2025, the...

Rafael Nadal prepares to receive Roger Federer's serve during the final of the 2006 French Open

Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner actually did it. They saved tennis.

By Charlie Desjardins, Dept. Opinion Editor / June 11, 2025

It’s 3 p.m. on a sleepy Sunday in Pepperell, Massachusetts, and miracles of the human variety are happening 3,400 miles away on an orange tennis court...