Letter to the Editor: Daily's growth mirrors Tufts

The origin of the Daily mirrors the growth, development and regeneration of the Tufts community and campus itself. The paper was founded in the aftermath of its precursor (a paid subscription nightly newsletter) going defunct. Just as that newsletter was deficient to students’ needs on campus, the physical campus itself was insufficiently meeting the needs of its vibrant student body. Imagine no campus center, no cultural arts center, a theater smaller than many high schools boast and a gymnasium stuck in the 1950s. Just as a major capital campaign began to rejuvenate our campus, and then University President Jean Mayer brought national attention and prestige to campus, the Daily was born.

The early days were humble and typo-ridden. A handful of contributors were writing, editing, typing and laying out content five nights a week, rushing to meet the press deadline. We struggled to get out four pages on time and got really excited when there was enough content and advertising for twelve. By spring of 1981, 16 pages was the norm and our unpublished motto was “All the News that Fits.”

The more important story is the reason the Daily has flourished and evolved into the incredible media product it has become forty years later. And that is the continuity of the foundational principle that drove us in the beginning. Dedication to serve the Tufts community with timely content that is meaningful, accurate and worthy of its audience.

Bill Frechtman (LA'81), the Daily's first editor in chief