Editor’s note: The Daily’s editorial department acknowledges that this article is premised on a conflict of interest. This article is a special feature for Daily Week 2021 that does not represent the Daily’s standard journalistic practices.
Ryan Shaffer has described the Daily as a "small town" newspaper. He would know. Shaffer, now a senior, hails from Decatur, Ark., a town with a population of less than 2,000 people. In many ways, Shaffer had a unique path from Decatur to Tufts. As a QuestBridge Scholar, this spring he will become the first person in his family to complete a four-year undergraduate program. Shaffer joined the Daily in the fall of his sophomore year. Since then, he has left his mark all over the paper, from the Copy section to Features to News and even Audio. Shaffer has written on a wide range of topics, fromFluff (the New England sweet delicious treat) to theunionization of Tufts Dining workers.
Shaffer covered the rallies supporting Tufts Dining workers in his first semester with the Daily. That fall, Tufts Dining workers called on the administration for better wages and benefits after they hadunionized in the spring. On a quiet campus, it was an important event. “It was an absolute honor to cover it," Shaffer said.
Shaffer also wrote a story on the history ofMarshmallow Fluff. On the surface, it was the story of a classic New England treat. On a deeper level, however, this story brought to life a side of Boston’s history that is often forgotten: Boston, the culinary-innovation hub.
“We tend to think now that Boston is the academic capital of the Americas," Shaffer said. “But, that's not the way it's always been … Boston has been known for other things … it was kind of like a baking capital, and it was kind of this sweets capital, and was known for its confectionaries.”
In the fall of his junior year, Shaffer became Executive Copy Editor. He explained that it can be easy for people to get lost in such a big section. Sometimes, there were long gaps between when he would see people. No matter how long, though, he said it was important to him to make sure his copy editors got as much as possible out of the experience.
“I wanted to make sure that [the copy editors] got something out of it,” he said. “So I actually had taken notes … on what they’ve been really good at, and how they can improve. And I think that that was a good guide in making sure that whenever they come into the office for that two hours, it’s something that’s constructive for them.”
Shaffer said his greatest accomplishments and challenges came, however, when he was Editor in Chief of the Daily during his junior spring. In an ordinary year, his service to the paper would have been marked by efforts to balance the Daily’s budget by switching printers and paper delivery services, or by efforts to improve communication between the Managing Board and Executive Board. As it was, only a week before they were supposed to begin working with a new printer, everything was derailed by the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, and Shaffer ended up spending the rest of his term back in Decatur.
When asked what the first few weeks of the pandemic looked like from his perspective, Shaffer quipped, “for that half of the semester, the Daily was based in Arkansas.”
With the responsibility of keeping the Daily running, the pandemic was an exceptionally challenging moment for Shaffer. Without strong Wi-Fi at home, he spent his evenings, from 6 p.m. until midnight, in his car, stationed in the parking lot of his local high school. According to Shaffer, he must have looked suspicious sitting out there late at night with his quilt and computer that one time a police officer came by to ask what was going on.
Even so, Shaffer's efforts, combined with the help of other members of the Daily, allowed for the continued production of content throughout the semester. Shaffer said his biggest priority in that time, however, was keeping the Daily calm and focused.
“I think for everyone it was a frightful moment, and I didn’t want our reporting to overblow that or feed on people’s fears," Shaffer said. "We wanted to make sure that they got the information that they needed, and weren’t going to be leaving just paralyzed with [fear], because we didn’t know anything at the time.”
Shaffer also had a unique vision for the Daily — he referred to it as a "small town" newspaper. On the surface, he said it means being a newspaper written by community members for community members. On a deeper level, he said he intended the term to signify a redefinition of the role of journalism. Certainly, journalism should accurately inform, he said, but it should also be used to connect people. When Shaffer interned at his local NPR affiliate the summer before his junior year, he was inspired by the way that they used their platform to connect community members with local nonprofits, theater groups, libraries and other organizations. As Editor in Chief he sought to use the Daily as a platform to connect people.
Shaffer explained, “That’s what it’s all about. It’s all about connecting people to the different areas of campus, all the different people and groups on campus, and letting them know what they’re doing … and taking pride in that.”
