To the Tufts Community,
We would like to thank the Editor-in-Chief of the Tufts Observer, Michael Skocay, and his staff for bringing an important matter to our attention in his viewpoint, "On student journalism at Tufts." In his piece, Skocay critiques the Daily's policy that stipulates that our masthead members may not write for other campus publications. While we acknowledge and appreciate his comments on our policy, we stand by it. We would, instead, take this opportunity to explain the policy more fully to the Tufts community, which we believe has as much interest in its proper function as we do.
Skocay is correct in noting that we do not allow our editors to publish in other "news publications on campus," but this statement is in need of some clarification. The Daily requires that members of its masthead, upon accepting their elected positions, agree not to write for campus news publications or those publications for which their contributions may constitute a conflict of interest. They may, however, write for publications that are expressly cultural, academic, humorous, or literary. Thus, our staff members have the ability to express themselves artistically elsewhere; the pages of a newspaper are no place for the "artistic expression" Skocay purports to protect.
While writing is an exercise that demands creativity, journalism is a craft based on fact. The Daily respects and values artistic expression, but like all newspapers, does not count it among its aims. Readers look to newspapers to provide an accurate reflection of events free of interpretation, artistic or otherwise. Journalism is not the method by which writers should express themselves or their opinions - it is, rather, the method by which they should express facts.
The voice of the Daily is determined by its staff, and because that voice must remain impartial, members can not compromise it by expressing bias, either on our pages or on the pages of other publications. For this reason, our editors may not write for campus publications such as The Primary Source or the upcoming magazine by the Tufts Democrats.
Regarding news publications, our policy is a matter of professionalism. Editors on the masthead come to their position through an election; candidates are nominated for their reporting and/or past work on the Daily. We believe that, by this point, prospective editors have had ample time to explore various student publications and to discover which ones suit their interests and abilities best. At this time, as they accept their positions, they gain great influence on the editorial content and overall process of our organization.
We find it reasonable, then, to ask for a full commitment from editors who accept the responsibilities and privileges that come with their positions. If students do not wish to make this commitment, the Daily is by no means "forcing [them] to remain faithful to their main publication of choice," to quote Skocay; instead, they may choose not to accept editorial positions and continue to write for the Daily as staff members. The Daily does not rebuke students if they choose to make this decision.
The Daily's policy emulates those of national newspapers and allows us to be completely confident in the objectivity and purely journalistic agenda of our staff. We acknowledge that on a college campus, professional standards are much more difficult to meet, especially due to conflicts of interest. We will strive to meet them, though at times we may fall short.
Student journalists at Tufts are first, of course, students, and members of the Daily masthead are indeed unpaid, but this does not distract us from our goal. It is unfair to every hardworking member of any publication on campus to suggest that volunteerism provides a valid excuse, reason, or expectation for lowered standards.
Ultimately, our work to this end is to serve our readers and the Tufts community, to offer a truthful, unbiased representation of campus events, and to grow and learn as journalists ourselves. We believe our policy reflects these aims.
Sincerely,
The Executive Board
