Matt Bai (LA '90), now a political journalist for The New York Times Magazine, has seen his share of controversy. While a student at Tufts, his stories for the Observer frequently touched off campus debates, and in 1994, his first magazine article sparked what he considered "the biggest firestorm of [his] career" -- until now.
In the wake of his Oct. 10 cover story on Democratic presidential hopeful John Kerry for The New York Times Magazine, Bai is in the midst of what he calls, with a mixture of ruefulness and bemusement, "the mother of all controversies."
In the profile, which focused on the Massachusetts senator's worldview and foreign policy outlook, Kerry told Bai that "we have to get back to the place we were, where terrorists are not the focus of our lives, but they're a nuisance."
Almost immediately, the Bush campaign seized upon the quote as an indication that Kerry does not take terrorism seriously. President George W. Bush said the quote shows that Kerry "just doesn't get it"; Vice President Dick Cheney said the quote reflects "an unacceptable mindset" that "says a lot about a lack of character."
But what does Bai have to say on the subject? Nothing that isn't already included in the profile that roiled the waters in the first place. "I've found a great comfort level in letting my writing speak for itself," said the Trumbull, Conn., native.
"When things go haywire, I don't promote myself -- I let the story speak for itself," added Bai, who turned down an offer to appear on "The O'Reilly Factor" the day before speaking with The Tufts Daily. "I never go on TV unless it's a good, credible show -- I'm sort of old-fashioned that way. I used to do TV, but I never left the studio feeling better than when I came in."
The television-or-not-television decision, Bai says, is one all journalists who become successful must make. "All journalists have to ask themselves, 'How glib do I want to be? How self-promoting do I want to be? How famous do I want to be?'" Bai said. "I prefer for people to recognize my writing and my name, but not my face."
Starting with his days at Tufts, Bai has set about achieving just that sort of recognition. "The Observer at the time was a really good paper," he said. "My career and my closest friendships were born in that office when I was 18 or 19."
Another formative experience for Bai while at Tufts was EPIIC. "You can see a lot of what I learned in EPIIC with [Director of the Institute for Global Leadership] Sherman Teichman in what I write now," Bai said. "That grounding in how we got to where we are today, and where we're headed, has served me very well."
"You can see shades of what I learned there in [the piece on Kerry]," added Bai, who has also conferred with Tufts Professor of history Marty Sherwin to gain background for his articles. "You have to understand the Cold War to understand the debate on terrorism -- I've been really grateful for Sherman's class."
Also while at Tufts, Bai developed his desire to constantly challenge the status quo. "I was never great with authority -- I think that's a common thread running through Tufts students," he said. "The nature of the constant campus debate taught you to challenge your preconceptions, which is a big goal of mine as a journalist."
Upon graduation, Bai worked at what's now called the U.S. Fund for UNICEF in NYC. After three years as a speechwriter there (he wrote speeches for people including Audrey Hepburn, whom he calls "a wonderful lady"), Bai attended Columbia University's Journalism School, where he graduated at the top of his class in 1994 and won a Pulitzer Traveling Fellowship.
After interning at Newsweek, Bai worked at The Boston Globe as a general assignment reporter for two years. Then, after spending a year as a Fellow at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government and working for Rolling Stone "for about five minutes," he went back to Newsweek, where he spent five years as a political correspondent.
"I had always been interested in politics, but I wasn't sure I wanted to write about it," Bai said. "Newsweek was where I got into that."
Now, Bai is in his third year writing for The New York Times Magazine -- and he's thrilled to be doing so. "There's a lot I love about my job," he said. "I love politicians and the business of politics -- people who don't like politicians and politics should not cover politics any more than people who don't love movies should review movies."
"I think being in the public service arena is an incredibly difficult and noble thing, and I like to be around people who entered it," Bai said. "A lot of people are cynical about it; I'm not. I love talking to politicians big and small."
Thanks to his accumulated experience and his current position, many of the politicians Bai interacts with now are on the "big" end of the spectrum.
Luckily for him, then, Bai has "never really had a problem [treating larger-than-life politicians like people rather than icons]."
"I look at politicians as people, fallible people, but I don't assume their motives are bad," Bai said. "A couple of moments have been genuinely intimidating, though, like interviewing Bill Clinton in the Oval Office. It's designed to be nerve-wracking, and it is."
"Confrontations with major politicians I respect can be a little harrowing, but when the moment comes, I can handle it," Bai said.
Bai is grateful to have the chance to explore what "major politicians [he respects]" have to say in a thorough and serious way. "The New York Times Magazine has a disproportionate impact," Bai said. "I get to work with the smartest editors -- editors who want to do thoughtful, substantive pieces, which is rare."
"If I couldn't cover politics for a really substantive outlet, I'd write about something else," added Bai, who says he "[loves] finding out, telling, and hearing people's stories."
Bai, who spends about a week out of each month traveling, also loves his autonomy. "The thing I like is that my days are never the same," he said. "I have a lot of independence, and I never quite know what's around the corner. I have to look at the calendar to see what I'm doing, where I'll be, each day. I work largely at my own pace."
That pace, Bai said, rarely slows. But when it does, he relishes the chance to sit back and enjoy it
"On a good day, I stay in sweats till 1 p.m., eat a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, read a few chapters in a book -- like college, but no video games," he laughed. "But those days are few and far between."
On Oct. 27, Bai will return to his alma mater to discuss "Adventures in Political Journalism." The event, which will take place in Paige Hall's Crane Room, is sponsored by the Communications and Media Studies Program.
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