The Mendota Beacon
Encyclopedia
The Mendota Beacon was a free, privately funded biweekly (and later, weekly) published newspaper
in Madison, Wisconsin
between 2005 and 2007. Its first issue was on February 12, 2005, Republican
president
Abraham Lincoln
's birthday
. It was formed in 2004 as a conservative alternative to The Badger Herald
, The Daily Cardinal
, and The Madison Observer that are distributed throughout the UW–Madison
campus
and downtown area. The name came from the fact that the campus is on the shore of Lake Mendota
. The newspaper's motto was "Shining the Light on What's Right."
from the Leadership Institute
, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization
located in Arlington, Virginia that teaches "political technology".
The Institute's mission is to "identify, train, recruit and place conservatives
in politics
, government
, and media
".
s run in the Beacon addressed the issue of being conservative in Madison, a city that has a history of being a liberal hotbed.
The editorial writers also addressed issues of national and international concern.
In early 2006, Vogel and Schwerbel left the Beacon to join the Herald as an at-large member of the editorial board and a columnist, respectively.
Thelen was part of a feature article in Madison's independent weekly newspaper, Isthmus. The article was a point/counterpoint article about the Iraq war. Thelen's portion of the debate explained his support for the war and for the Bush administration.
In November 2005, competing progressive paper, The Madison Observer, accused the Beacon of cybersquatting
madisonobserver.com and .net and redirecting web users to the Mendota Beacon's web page or a vandalized version of the Madison Observer page instead of www.madisonobserver.org. At the time, the ideologically opposite papers both claimed bi-weekly circulation of 5000.
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
in Madison, Wisconsin
Madison, Wisconsin
Madison is the capital of the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Dane County. It is also home to the University of Wisconsin–Madison....
between 2005 and 2007. Its first issue was on February 12, 2005, Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
president
President
A president is a leader of an organization, company, trade union, university, or country.Etymologically, a president is one who presides, who sits in leadership...
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
's birthday
Birthday
A birthday is a day or anniversary where a person celebrates his or her date of birth. Birthdays are celebrated in numerous cultures, often with a gift, party or rite of passage. Although the major religions celebrate the birth of their founders , Christmas – which is celebrated widely by...
. It was formed in 2004 as a conservative alternative to The Badger Herald
The Badger Herald
The Badger Herald is a newspaper serving the University of Wisconsin–Madison community. Founded in 1969, it is one of America's first independent daily student newspapers. The paper is published Monday through Friday during the academic year...
, The Daily Cardinal
The Daily Cardinal
The Daily Cardinal is a student newspaper that serves the University of Wisconsin–Madison community. The sixth oldest daily student newspaper in the country, it began publishing on Monday, April 4, 1892...
, and The Madison Observer that are distributed throughout the UW–Madison
University of Wisconsin–Madison
The University of Wisconsin–Madison is a public research university located in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1848, UW–Madison is the flagship campus of the University of Wisconsin System. It became a land-grant institution in 1866...
campus
Campus
A campus is traditionally the land on which a college or university and related institutional buildings are situated. Usually a campus includes libraries, lecture halls, residence halls and park-like settings...
and downtown area. The name came from the fact that the campus is on the shore of Lake Mendota
Lake Mendota
Lake Mendota is the northernmost and largest of the four lakes near Madison, Wisconsin. The lake borders Madison on the north, east and south, Middleton on the west, Shorewood Hills on the southwest, Maple Bluff on the northeast, and Westport on the northwest....
. The newspaper's motto was "Shining the Light on What's Right."
Funding
The paper received its start-up capitalCapital (economics)
In economics, capital, capital goods, or real capital refers to already-produced durable goods used in production of goods or services. The capital goods are not significantly consumed, though they may depreciate in the production process...
from the Leadership Institute
Leadership Institute
The Leadership Institute is a 501 non-profit organization located in Arlington, Virginia that teaches "political technology.".The Institute was founded in 1979 by conservative activist Morton C. Blackwell...
, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization
Non-profit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
located in Arlington, Virginia that teaches "political technology".
The Institute's mission is to "identify, train, recruit and place conservatives
American conservatism
Conservatism in the United States has played an important role in American politics since the 1950s. Historian Gregory Schneider identifies several constants in American conservatism: respect for tradition, support of republicanism, preservation of "the rule of law and the Christian religion", and...
in politics
Politics
Politics is a process by which groups of people make collective decisions. The term is generally applied to the art or science of running governmental or state affairs, including behavior within civil governments, but also applies to institutions, fields, and special interest groups such as the...
, government
Government
Government refers to the legislators, administrators, and arbitrators in the administrative bureaucracy who control a state at a given time, and to the system of government by which they are organized...
, and media
Mass media
Mass media refers collectively to all media technologies which are intended to reach a large audience via mass communication. Broadcast media transmit their information electronically and comprise of television, film and radio, movies, CDs, DVDs and some other gadgets like cameras or video consoles...
".
Editorial point of view
Many of the op-edOp-ed
An op-ed, abbreviated from opposite the editorial page , is a newspaper article that expresses the opinions of a named writer who is usually unaffiliated with the newspaper's editorial board...
s run in the Beacon addressed the issue of being conservative in Madison, a city that has a history of being a liberal hotbed.
The editorial writers also addressed issues of national and international concern.
- The March 10, 2005 issue expressed an opinion that people such as John KerryJohn KerryJohn Forbes Kerry is the senior United States Senator from Massachusetts, the 10th most senior U.S. Senator and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He was the presidential nominee of the Democratic Party in the 2004 presidential election, but lost to former President George W...
are frustrating because they take the "nonexistent 'middle ground'" on abortionAbortionAbortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to viability. An abortion can occur spontaneously, in which case it is usually called a miscarriage, or it can be purposely induced...
. By this they meant that Kerry, et al., who claim to be personally against abortion yet do not want to impose their beliefs on others, are guilty of "abortion hypocrisyHypocrisyHypocrisy is the state of pretending to have virtues, moral or religious beliefs, principles, etc., that one does not actually have. Hypocrisy involves the deception of others and is thus a kind of lie....
." - Another op-ed in the Beacon's first issue defended AmericaUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
's unilateralistUnilateralismUnilateralism is any doctrine or agenda that supports one-sided action. Such action may be in disregard for other parties, or as an expression of a commitment toward a direction which other parties may find agreeable...
policies by saying "There is now a faction in American politics that is willing to disregard our national sovereignty and take orders from an international organization. (the UN)".
Staff
Founders of the Beacon included Tim Shea, Robert Thelen III, Bradley Vogel, Jordan Smith, Steven Schwerbel and Darryn Beckstrom.In early 2006, Vogel and Schwerbel left the Beacon to join the Herald as an at-large member of the editorial board and a columnist, respectively.
Thelen was part of a feature article in Madison's independent weekly newspaper, Isthmus. The article was a point/counterpoint article about the Iraq war. Thelen's portion of the debate explained his support for the war and for the Bush administration.
In November 2005, competing progressive paper, The Madison Observer, accused the Beacon of cybersquatting
Cybersquatting
Cybersquatting , according to the United States federal law known as the Anticybersquatting Consumer Protection Act, is registering, trafficking in, or using a domain name with bad faith intent to profit from the goodwill of a trademark belonging to someone else...
madisonobserver.com and .net and redirecting web users to the Mendota Beacon's web page or a vandalized version of the Madison Observer page instead of www.madisonobserver.org. At the time, the ideologically opposite papers both claimed bi-weekly circulation of 5000.