Letter from the Managing Board: Celebrating 40 years

Today marks four decades since the founding of The Tufts Daily. In this time, over 1,800 members of our masthead have worked to put rigorous, ethical and community-oriented journalism into print every weekday for 40 years, covering daily life at Tufts and the various milestones along the way. We are humbled to be at the helm of this great institution as it celebrates its 40th anniversary.

In a panel discussion organized by our Outreach team last October, members of the Daily, including ourselves, heard what the office and newspaper was like in past decades. These stories gave us a special chance to reflect on how things have changed, but also stayed the same. Katie Cohen (LA’00) told us about rushing to develop photographs in a darkroom in West Hall for the next day’s paper. Others spoke about delivering the paper in person late at night to the printer in Harvard Square on pages written on a stenotype. Afterwards, they’d eat IHOP. Their stories are examples of the Daily staff’s commitment to serving the Tufts community. While many digital inventions have now revolutionized our editorial process, the unparalleled nightly work ethic of our dedicated staff persists.

Forty matriculations and commencement issues have passed through the pages of the Daily. In that time, the Daily has earned its status as the smallest independent daily university newspaper in the country. Being one of the few opportunities for aspiring journalists at Tufts, the Daily prides itself on training a new generation of writers on the importance of representing individuals and stories that may not have a platform elsewhere. Looking forward to the next 40 years, our independent status will continue to be crucial in driving the unique content published by members of our News, Features, Arts & Living, Opinion, Sports, Investigative and Audio sections.

The mark of good journalism is to not just cover what is happening in a given community, but rather to highlight what people are doing to address common concerns and to pull citizens into civic life. This stems from the idea of the newspaper as a way to inform the public on public issues, but it goes a step forward by acknowledging that a newspaper is a medium for civic engagement and collective debate. The Daily has proven itself to rise to the occasion of providing a forum for debate and publishing stories that are rooted in the concerns of its community. A good newspaper not only informs the public, but also connects citizens to the broader community.

The Daily, however, serves the additional function of introducing students to the field of journalism, opening the doors to the nature and purpose of the profession. Whether one intends to pursue a career in journalism after graduating, the Daily introduces students to standard journalistic practices and values, which prove vital regardless of future ambitions: leadership, strong communication skills and empathy. These are the values that make for engaged, thoughtful citizens.

Thank you for joining us in celebrating 40 years of compelling journalism.

Sincerely,

Ryan Shaffer, Editor in Chief

Alex Viveros, Managing Editor

Nathan Kyn, Managing Editor

Kristina Marchand, Production Director

Tys Sweeney, Associate Editor