With 4,000 copies coming out every weekday, the Daily gives students who would otherwise never get a chance to discuss issues with each other the ability to do just that. Both through its articles and through Viewpoints and letters to the editor the paper provides a space for discussion. But how it does so is often up for a great matter of discussion.
"From the campus point of view, it's really useful to have a forum," said English lecturer Nan Levinson, who has taught journalism for over 15 years. Levinson added that she can think of "lots of instances" when just such a forum has been constructive to the campus community.
"Events that happen can be very divisive - not that the Daily has healed things single-handedly, but in helping people to thrash it out, the Daily's doing something that's essential to democracy," she said.
People ranging from Tufts Community Union (TCU) President David Baumwoll, a junior, to former editor-in-chief of the Primary Source Brandon Balkind, agree that working through the Daily is one of the most efficient ways to give information to a wide range of people.
"I would like to see more people from outside submitting Viewpoints and all that," Baumwoll said. "I can't think of a better way to provide students with an opportunity to voice opinions."
Discussion in the Daily also exposes people to a wider range of opinions than they would normally encounter in just their friendship groups, explained Peggy Barrett, director of the Women's Center.
"The Daily is one of the main places that people hear from people they haven't heard from before," she said.
The Viewpoints page especially is where contentious issues frequently arise. Viewpoints editor sophomore Paula Fortner said that frequently a controversial Viewpoint will spark intense debate on her pages, with people responding to the original Viewpoint and then subsequent ones. For example, she said, last year the topic of gay marriage was passionately discussed for over a month.
Campus topics also receive more exposure than usual. Recently, Balkind wrote a Viewpoint about the Tufts Academic Freedom Project, of which he is the spokesman. The Viewpoint was "effective," in his opinion, as it served to create a more public awareness of the initiative, which has been debated in the TCU Senate since last spring.
Beyond allowing members of the community to exchange views, opinions and issues, the Daily shed light on student reactions to campus ideas. "Many times there have been criticisms, a variety of Viewpoints on Senate initiatives," Baumwoll said.
These, he added, are "definitely taken into consideration ... we're representing the student body and have to make sure information is accessible."
Baumwoll pointed to the September 2004 Fall Ball as an instance in which responses voiced in the Daily had an effect on campus programming. A Viewpoint and column came out immediately after the event, criticizing the crowded entry-way and the "unresponsive nature of the staff." This January's Winter Bash, by contrast, had an entrance procedure that responded directly to those concerns. According to Baumwoll, "that was definitely helpful."
Yet, there are also inherent difficulties in conducting discussions through the medium of a newspaper. Barrett emphasized the risk being taken by those who put their opinions in print to be read by the entire campus. The Daily "can also be a place where people just blast a group of individuals, without any checks on what they say," she warned.
It is also frequently difficult to clearly explain a stance on a controversial issue to people unfamiliar with a point of view. "For the parties involved, it's sometimes hard to make sure that their responses are what they mean," Balkind said.
Writing in a newspaper is "inherently limiting," in Barrett's view, since the view stated stays on the record permanently: frequently, a Viewpoint written by a freshman does not reflect that person's opinion as a senior.
But at the same time, Barrett said, by forcing writers to clarify their ideas, submitting opinions to the Daily can also be "satisfying."
