We know you care about your community, and we believe you have a right to be well-informed, and have access to professional, high-quality, non-partisan local news. That’s why we are excited to share some updates about the progress that is being made to launch The Newton Beacon.
The Newton Beacon is a new, non-profit news source that will cover everything from issues facing the schools to news out of City Hall; major events across the city; and interviews with newsmakers and community leaders. Best of all – work is underway to enable the Beacon to be staffed by a team of paid, professional journalists. This team will be working full-time to bring you all the news you need to have your finger on the pulse of what is going on throughout Newton.
You might be saying to yourself: “Don’t we already have that?” Sadly, the answer is a resounding “No.” While we are fortunate to have plenty of sources of information in Newton (including both from elected officials and community members) Newton lacks a truly independent online news source with new content being reported regularly by professional journalists. The Beacon seeks to fill that void.
This is a serious endeavor, and it takes time. We are working toward a goal of launching in the spring of 2023. In the meantime, a Board of Directors has been established, and is working tirelessly to enact a business plan and funding model. We should also note that while the board will guide the financial and business operations of the Beacon, it will have no role in shaping the content of articles or editorials. We are hiring professional journalists, and neither board members nor donors will have any say in shaping the narrative of any content. Period.