A Conversation With Emily Sweeney – SPJ-NE x The Mass Media

Join SPJ New England and The Mass Media for the third installment of their monthly speaker series at UMass Boston, featuring Boston Globe Social Video Journalist Emily Sweeney. In early 2026, her video coverage went viral on social media – in part for the Dorchester native’s Boston accent – leading to coverage in The New York Times. In addition to video journalism, Sweeney writes two crime-related series for the Globe, “Blotter Tales,” about noteworthy police blotter incidents, and the unsolved murder newsletter, “Cold Case Files.” She is the author of four books, including “Gangland Boston: A Tour Through the Deadly Streets of Organized Crime.”

The event is open to UMass Boston students and members of the public. Ticket information is forthcoming.

The event is the first in a four-part series featuring retired Boston Globe sportswriter Bob Ryan, former CNN anchor Jim Acosta, Boston Globe Social Video Journalist Emily Sweeney and photographer Lou Jones. Through the speaker series, SPJ New England and The Mass Media aim to expand UMass Boston students’ access to journalism education opportunities, furthering SPJ’s mission to “inspire successive generations of talented individuals to become dedicated journalists.”