• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • HOME
  • NEWS+OPINIONS
    • NEWS TO US
    • COLUMNS
      • APPARENT HORIZON
      • DEAR READER
      • Close
    • LONGFORM FEATURES
    • OPINIONS
    • EDITORIAL
    • Close
  • ARTS+ENTERTAINMENT
    • FILM
    • MUSIC
    • COMEDY
    • PERFORMING ARTS
    • VISUAL ARTS
    • Close
  • DINING+DRINKING
    • EATS
    • SIPS
    • BOSTON BETTER BEER BUREAU
    • Close
  • LIFESTYLE
    • CANNABIS
      • TALKING JOINTS MEMO
      • Close
    • WELLNESS
    • GTFO
    • Close
  • STUFF TO DO
  • TICKETS
  • ABOUT US
    • ABOUT
    • MASTHEAD
    • ADVERTISE
    • Close
  • BECOME A MEMBER

Dig Bos

The Dig - Boston's Only Newspaper

A DEPARTURE: AFTER FOUR YEARS OF BLISTERING COLUMNS, A FREE RADICAL CHANGE

Written by EMILY HOPKINS Posted April 20, 2016 Filed Under: COLUMNS, Free Radical

FREE RAD COLLAGE

 

About a year and a half ago I graced the cover of DigBoston for its 5 Drink Minimum issue. My outing included the Shanghai Club, which no one probably remembers because it closed down a few weeks after I gave it my blistering review. And while it wasn’t a huge titan that I was able to fell with my written word, the place was pretty culturally appropriative, so I still like to think of that 5 Drink as one of the times my writing made a difference.

 

Jokes aside, most of you reading this have likely followed this column from its accidental birth nearly four years ago. My dear friend and former Dig editor JPat Brown puts it thusly:

 

With their asymmetric haircut and ratty Cat Flag T-shirt, Emily had the appearance of somebody with Strong Opinions About Things, so I asked them if they’d be interested in sharing those with the reading public. And oh yeah, I need to get this to design in the next hour, so please share those opinions as quickly as possible.

 

They farted out something about gender, I came up with Free Radical as a placeholder title, and the rest is herstory.

 

Herstory, indeed, includes calling out state representatives, standing up to Olympic bullies, spreading the gospel of cyclist rights, questioning “end of homelessness” exaggerations, and many more musings on oppression of all kinds. As I prepare to hand over the reins of this column, I’m glad to know that it resonated with at least some of you. I know this because you’ve told me, and all I can say is, thank you for making it matter, even a little bit.

 

I’ll soon be setting off for an internship at the Marshall Project, the now Pulitzer Prize-winning news organization covering the nation’s criminal justice system. Its mission—“to create and sustain a sense of national urgency about the U.S. criminal justice system”—has fostered a necessary conversation about a troubling industry. Pushing the conversation has always been what I wanted this column to do, so I hope that I can carry that with me.

 

I’ll end on this thought: This city needs more daring journalism. I’m glad this column has allowed me to shine a light, however small, on the ills that plague the city. But we need more voices like mine, and more willingness to take risks. (A shout-out to my colleagues at BINJ for actually taking the plunge.) If we are going to salvage any bit of this city for those who aren’t in tech, development, or big pharma, then we need a chorus. So here’s to the future of Free Radical, and the many other voices I hope sing through it.

Author profile
EMILY HOPKINS
Related posts
  • EMILY HOPKINS
    https://digboston.com/author/emily-hopkins/
    PAST INCARCERATION: REMEMBERING CHARLESTOWN'S FORGOTTEN PRISON
  • EMILY HOPKINS
    https://digboston.com/author/emily-hopkins/
    WHY BOTHER? ON RENEWING URBAN RENEWAL IN BOSTON.
  • EMILY HOPKINS
    https://digboston.com/author/emily-hopkins/
    THE THIN BLUE PAYWALL
  • EMILY HOPKINS
    https://digboston.com/author/emily-hopkins/
    MANCHESTER DIVIDED: JIM FROM THE FRINGE

Filed Under: COLUMNS, Free Radical Tagged With: BINJ, Boston, Boston 2024, columns, criminal justice reform, Emily Hopkins, FOIA, gentrification, Journalism, the Marshall Project

WHAT’S NEW

Trump-Loving Mass Republican Party Freaks Out Over Mar-a-Lago Raid

Trump-Loving Mass Republican Party Freaks Out Over Mar-a-Lago Raid

Governor’s Council Weighs Controversial Parole Board Renomination

Governor’s Council Weighs Controversial Parole Board Renomination

Bay State Gas Providers Pay Up

Bay State Gas Providers Pay Up

State Wire: Mass Needs to Reform Youth Restitution Policies

State Wire: Mass Needs to Reform Youth Restitution Policies

“Pie” by Eric Ferdinand is licensed under CC-BY 2.0

Share and Share Alike: Major Funders Need to Give Equally to All Nonprofit News Outlets

The T Will Stay Broken Because Poor and Working People Are Seen As Expendable 

The T Will Stay Broken Because Poor and Working People Are Seen As Expendable 

Primary Sidebar

Advertisement

FEATURED EVENT

Most Popular

  • The T Will Stay Broken Because Poor and Working People Are Seen As Expendable 
  • Inside the Bay State’s Legendary (and Only) One-Man Brewery
  • Meet the Phantom Behind Greater Boston’s Awesome Food Feed Everybody Gotta Eat
  • Worcester’s Wasteful, Never-Ending War on Police Transparency
  • The “Biggest Masshole In Massachusetts” Is Running For Secretary Of State

Footer

Social Buttons

DigBoston facebook DigBoston Twitter DigBoston Instagram

Masthead

About

Advertise

Customer Service

About Us

DigBoston is a one-stop nexus for everything worth doing or knowing in the Boston area. It's an alt-weekly, it's a website, it's an e-mail blast, it's a twitter account, it's that cool party that you were at last night ... hey, you're reading it, so it's gotta be good. For advertising inquiries: [email protected] To reach Editorial (and for inquiries about internship opportunities): [email protected]