Broadside, Mason’s official student newspaper, began its life as The Gunston Ledger. An eight-page monthly printed on 12 inch by 9 inch paper, The Gunston Ledger first appeared on October 15, 1963 on the then George Mason College campus located in Bailey’s Crossroads. The staff was limited to just twelve students and the content consisted of campus news, features on the Mason faculty and students, engagement and wedding notices and some commentary. The Ledger became Broadside on October 28, 1969. It was explained in that issue that the name change was part of an effort to remake the paper into more of a news instrument like that of the nation’s revolutionary fathers. Broadside was a weekly paper which contained sixteen or more pages in each issue.

Today, Broadside is a more modern newspaper – smaller in size and more creative in size. With one issue printed each Monday during the semester, Broadside focuses content on local, national and international news that might, in some way, affect college students. Broadside prides itself on being a newspaper by students and for students, and uses the tagline “Writing the first draft of Mason history.”