Letter from the Managing Board regarding Nov. 18 editorial

Dear Tufts community,

On Nov. 18, the Daily published an editorial titled, “The Daily stands with The Crimson in defending factual, ethical journalism.” The editorial, which was intended to affirm the Daily’s commitment to journalistic practices, was not given the time and attention required for an editorial on a subject as sensitive as defending the undocumented community and Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s role on a university campus. We owe an apology to the undocumented community and to the Tufts community for our negligence on this topic. 

The editorial failed to address other issues regarding The Crimson's practices that were rightfully raised by Act on a Dream. It led our readers to the misleading conclusion that we unconditionally support The Crimson and that we denounce the concerns of Act on a Dream and other activist organizations, which we do not. The editorial intended to defend and share some of the basic journalistic practices employed by news organizations around the world, while also acknowledging the very legitimate concerns raised by the activist community. In addition, this editorial was given an unsatisfactory period to be reviewed and revised, which is in conflict with the Daily's procedural guidelines.

The timing of the editorial was particularly insensitive, as it was published the same week as the Supreme Court began deliberating the repeal of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. The Daily has affirmed DACA and additional measures to protect the undocumented community, as has the university administration. Though it was not our intention to express anything but support for the undocumented community, we recognize that our words have power on this campus, and that this editorial could have made an already-vulnerable community feel threatened or less secure on our campus. For this, we are sorry. 

The Daily has reviewed its editorial policy to guarantee that future editorials are given the time and attention they require prior to publication. These changes ensure that editorials are reviewed by more sets of eyes and can be well-researched and revised before publication. The Spring 2020 Managing Board and Editorial Board are committed to abiding by these policies and developing them as needed as they begin their new positions on the Daily. 

Furthermore, the Daily welcomes criticism from the community and looks forward to its future partnerships with activist groups and organizations that support marginalized voices on campus. The Daily has met with both the FIRST Resource Center and the activist group United for Immigrant Justice regarding how to cover immigrant and undocumented communities on campus, and we are actively revising and creating policies and procedures to justly cover issues on our campus. Through meetings with the FIRST Resource Center, the Daily has developed partnerships and policies to cover the immigrant and undocumented communities at Tufts. The Daily is continuing its work to improve its coverage of marginalized communities on campus through mandatory trainings and workshops with members of the community, activists and professionals that review our coverage and educate our staff. If you or your organization would like to participate in or host a training with the Daily, please email daily@tuftsdaily.com. 

We would like to thank the members of the Tufts community that brought the shortcomings of our coverage to our attention. If you have a problem with our coverage or would like to suggest a change, please email daily@tuftsdaily.com. If you would like to submit an op-ed, please email opinion@tuftsdaily.com. 

Sincerely,

Fall 2019 Managing Board

Jessica Blough, Editor in Chief

Ryan Eggers, Managing Editor

Justin Yu, Managing Editor

Aidan Menchaca, Production Director

Myshko Chumak, Associate Editor