The Beaufort area has several printed publications. The daily newspaper The Beaufort Gazette is the oldest and most circulated newspaper of record and is the sister publication to the Bluffton-based Island Packet. There are two weekly print newspapers: The Island News and an alternative newsweekly called Low country Weekly. There are three online-only publications, the hyperlocal The Digitel Beaufort and The Beaufort Tribune.
Several radio stations have transmission feeds originating or duplicating in Beaufort or locations just outside the city, such as Parris Island. Beaufort has one local television station, WJWJ-TV (PBS). Beaufort is part of the Savannah, Georgia Designated Market Area, and additionally receives Charleston television stations.
Books and film
Beaufort has been the setting or the inspirational setting for several novels by native son Pat Conroy and a popular filming location for major motion pictures, including The Big Chill, The Prince of Tides, The Great Santini, Forrest Gump, Something To Talk About and G.I. Jane.
Lady's Island, the slave trade and the American Revolutionary War are the topics of an award-winning novel by the Canadian writer Lawrence Hill, The Book of Negroes (2007) (published in the US as Someone Knows My Name). It portrays the evacuation of black slaves from Manhattan by the British after the Revolutionary War, as they had promised freedom to slaves of rebels who joined their forces. The British transported more than 3,000 freedmen for resettlement to Nova Scotia, where they became known as Black Loyalists; others were taken to England and the Caribbean. The Book of Negroes is the record of names and origins of freedmen taken to Canada.
Tourism and events
Beaufort is a romantic and popular tourist destination known for its history. Major festivals and arts events include the Home Water Festival, a two-week extravaganza in the middle of July; and the
