Tufts students have yet another free publication to choose from on campus this semester: The Boston Herald. The daily newspaper's free delivery and distribution at the University is being sponsored by FOX Sports.
The presence of free publications on campus is not a new phenomenon. For years, Tufts has been receiving The New York Times after former provost and current University Professor Sol Gittleman organized its distribution to students.
Dean of Students Bruce Reitman was not aware that The Herald was being distributed on campus. "[There is] not necessarily a great deal of control over this situation," he said. "There are all sorts of newspapers distributed around campus, with or without permission of the University."
What makes the appearance of The Herald on the Medford-Somerville campus different is the fact that its availability is made possible by FOX Sports, a subsidiary of News Corp., a giant news conglomerate owned by media mogul Rupert Murdoch, well-known for his political conservatism.
"I think it might be reading too much into it if you see some kind of political motive," junior and President of Tufts Republicans Nicholas Boyd said. "I don't think that it can be seen as an effort to spread conservative thought around campuses."
The Herald is further to the right of the political spectrum than is the Globe, Boyd said, but added that the difference is negligible. "The first issue had a full front-page spread on Kitty Kelley's book bashing the Bush family," he said.
But senior and President of Tufts Democrats John Parnes has a slightly different take, given that 2004 is a presidential election year. "Murdoch is a pretty smart businessman and he knows how to get his message out there," Parnes said. "If they want to put The Herald out there it's fine by me - they won't find any results."
Some observers have pointed out that diversifying students' media choices can hardly be a bad thing. "I think that anything that allows students to be more informed is a good thing for the campus," said sophomore Dan Grant, who serves as president of the Tufts chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).
Students at Tufts and other universities such as Boston College, Boston University, and University of Massachusetts have been receptive to The Herald's new campus program, according to Carol Ann Conroy, circulation marketing manager for The Herald. "It's a choice - they can either choose to pick up the paper or not," she said.
Reitman agrees. "Unless something is illegal or pornographic or inappropriate, the University is not in a position to censor out of the community any particular newspaper because of its viewpoints. Part of your education is figuring out what is worthwhile and what isn't," he said.
According to Reitman, The Boston Globe has also talked to Tufts about making the Globe available on campus. The Globe is owned by The New York Times. Sponsors of The Herald's college distribution program include the Boston Symphony Orchestra and the New England Patriots.
