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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 Rachel Choi

For better or worse, fandoms shape social change

By Bella Nordman, Beacon Contributor / March 20, 2025
I grew up chronically online and stumbled into corners of the internet that someone so young should not have been in.
Illustration Kellyn Taylor

Why we need more contemporary media

By Everest Leach, Beacon Contributor / March 19, 2025

“The idea of having to photograph a car makes me ill. And the idea of photographing a cellphone is just … death. So, no.” That’s what acclaimed...

Example of a ranked choice ballot. Rank up to 5 candidates (Optional). Fill only 1 oval in each column.

Boston needs ranked choice voting, and Emerson should be on board

By Katherine Asselin, Beacon Contributor / March 6, 2025

Emerson students are filmmakers, writers, artists, journalists, performers, storytellers, activists—and often more than one of those. We are opinionated...

Illustration Ben Putney

Toxic productivity: Emerson’s most exhausting tradition

By Mariam Tsintsadze, Beacon Contributor / March 5, 2025

Midterm season often finds me running on disturbing amounts of caffeine, staring at blank assignments until 3 a.m. while the cramped to-do list next to...

Illustration Rachel Choi

Maine Gov. Janet Mills set the example—now, other elected figures must follow it

By Ella Duggan and Tess Gleason / March 5, 2025

When Maine Governor Janet Mills stood up to President Donald Trump on Feb. 21 after he demanded Maine comply with his executive order banning transgender...

Diablada Ferroviaria in the Carnival de Oruro, Bolivia.

Bolivia is more than its political turmoil

By Josie Arteaga, Dept. Opinion Editor / February 26, 2025

Every February, holiday festivities begin in Bolivia, and my home becomes a different country. Carnival de Oruro, for Bolivians, is the most important...

Illustration Rachel Choi

The AP vs. Trump: Fighting for free press—and the future of the U.S.

By Ella Duggan, Opinion Editor / February 26, 2025

How long will it be before I can no longer write opinion pieces about the Trump administration because I won’t have sufficient evidence to do so? How...

Illustration Rachel Choi

Trump thinks drag performers target youths. He’s the real threat.

By Charlie Desjardins, Beacon Contributor / February 19, 2025

Ben Folds, a masterful pianist and singer-songwriter, has soundtracked my life with his acerbic wit and penchant for singing about losers.  As I’ve...

Illustration Ben Putney

The ex we never dated: Are friendships the real heartbreak?

By Mariam Tsintsadze, Beacon Contributor / February 19, 2025

February is nostalgic. There’s something in the cold air, along with a red heart around Feb. 14 that, if you’re single, makes you question what went...

Illustration Rachel Choi

As international students, we’re living in limbo

By Ella Duggan and Josie Arteaga / February 19, 2025

While most students were out buying last-minute flowers and CVS chocolates for their Valentines last week, international students at Emerson were making...

Adam Scott in “Severance,” now streaming on Apple TV+.

Why is ‘Severance’ so underrated?

By Ella Duggan, Opinion Editor / February 12, 2025

“Severance” is a phenomenon. Directed by Ben Stiller, the sci-fi psychological thriller is about employees who undergo a procedure to separate their...

Illustration Rachel Choi

It’s survival of the richest on Musk’s colonized Mars

By Bailey Flaherty, Beacon Contributor / February 12, 2025

For the last two decades, Elon Musk—head of the Department of Government Efficiency, owner of SpaceX, Tesla and X, and the wealthiest person in the world—has...

Illustration Rachel Choi

‘Seguimos aqui’: Bad Bunny’s ‘DeBí TiRAR MáS FOToS’ calls us to come home

By Josie Arteaga, Dept. Opinion Editor / February 5, 2025

Back home in Bolivia, I’m on aux. As my mom’s co-pilot, I’m preoccupied with curating our drive, and I take great pride in my song choices. It was...

Illustration Rachel Choi

The Brutalist’s biggest problem is perfectionism, not AI

By Charlie Desjardins, Beacon Contributor / February 5, 2025

For better or worse, it’s been impossible to escape “The Brutalist.” Directed by wunderkind Brady Corbet, this mammoth 3.5-hour study of a Hungarian...

Illustration Rachel Choi

Trump’s immigration policies towards non-white groups spike anxiety

By Ari Mei-Dan, Staff Photographer / February 5, 2025

Being an immigrant under President Donald Trump’s new term has sparked complicated emotions for me, ranging from anger to deep concern. As I begin to...

Illustration Helen Armstrong

If you need AI to write, don’t become a writer.

By Helen Armstrong, Beacon Contributor / February 5, 2025

“Every idea ChatGPT came up with (in a few seconds) was good. And original. And fleshed out. Why should writers sit around for months searching for a...

Illustration Rachel Choi

Emerson, it’s time to get political

By Emma Siebold, Beacon Correspondent / January 30, 2025

Last semester, the Emerson College administration attempted to heal a fractured community with Band-Aids and duct tape. Despite measures like the EmersonTogether...

Reflection. (Bryan Liu/ Beacon Staff)

K-pop idols get canceled for saying ‘Chinese New Year,’ should we?

By Bryan Liu, Managing Editor / January 30, 2025

The K-pop industry epitomizes trivial controversies. Every year—an idol says “Chinese New Year” instead of “Lunar New Year,” and netizens dogpile...

Illustration Rachel Choi

As a creator, the TikTok ban has alarming implications for us all

By Madison McMahon, Beacon Contributor / January 29, 2025

When all the Supreme Court opinions and congressional news coverage told me in no uncertain terms that TikTok would be banned in the United States, I cried.  Over...

Illustration Kellyn Taylor

The TikTok ban stunned America. The political agenda behind it should too.

By Bailey Flaherty, Beacon Contributor / January 29, 2025

On the evening of Jan. 18, TikTok’s American ban went into effect. Of course, mass panic ensued when the app shut down and all the phone addicts of...