Nantucket Newspapers

The Inquirer & Mirror

Milestone Rd.
(508) 228-0001
The Inquirer & Mirror is Nantucket's oldest newspaper, established in 1821. The publication started as The Inquirer and merged with the competing paper, The Mirror, in 1865. This newspaper operated as an independent until 1990 when it was sold to Ottaway Newspapers Inc., a subsidiary of Dow Jones. Marianne Giffin Stanton, whose parents once owned the paper, is the editor and publisher.
The Inquirer & Mirror, affectionately known on the island as the Inky, is published every Thursday and has a circulation of about 10,000. It has the largest classified ad section on the island and also publishes the Nantucket Holiday and a monthly vacation guide. Mailed subscriptions reach far and wide, including towns and cities in every state. You can request a mailed copy of the paper for $4.

The Nantucket Beacon

64 Old South Rd.
(508) 228-8455
The Nantucket Beacon was founded in March 1989 by Island developer Bruce Poor. Edward R. (Ted) Leach of Hancock, New Hampshire, bought the paper six months later and then sold it in October 1995 to Ottaway Newspapers Inc.
In a short time, The Beacon has developed a reputation for outstanding journalism. During 1993 and '94, the New England Press Association recognized it as New England's Weekly Newspaper of the Year.
Marianne Giffin Stanton, editor and publisher of the Inquirer & Mirror, was named the Beacon's publisher as well in 1997; in October 1997, the paper changed to a tabloid format and also switched to being published on Tuesdays rather than Wednesdays. The Beacon has a peak summer season distribution of about 8,000 (circulation and size of the paper vary due to Nantucket's resort character).