The past three weeks — the length of my tenure so far as public editor — have given me a thorough crash course in Tufts media; an impromptu but necessary lesson in the nebulous and often factional world that constitutes our campus media.
This education began almost instantly. My appointment, still young, quickly came under the question of the managing board of The Tufts Daily. In a matter−of−fact conversation, junior Kerianne Okie, the editor in chief of The Tufts Daily, conveyed to me several of her concerns about my role as public editor. Bluntly, the Daily was concerned about the fact that I had been appointed despite my leadership role within the Tufts Roundtable, a title I intended to keep. Unlike the two previous public editors, Jeremy White (LA '09) and senior Duncan Pickard (the latter of whose term I am completing), I would be indelibly connected to a current campus media organization; to the managing board of The Tufts Daily, the implications of this fact — the promotion of a potentially impartial public editor — was simply unacceptable. A week later, The Primary Source too chimed in with their own call for me to make a difficult choice between my role at the Roundtable and my position as public editor.
The culmination of these tensions occurred two Fridays ago in a meeting hosted by Tufts Dean of Undergraduate Education James Glaser between the chair of the Media Advocacy Board (MAB), the managing board of The Tufts Daily and myself. Although the hour−long session led to a virtual impasse, it also produced a level of maturity, reasoning and negotiation that highlighted the very best of Tufts University. For its part, the MAB had reaffirmed its confidence in its selection of public editor given the difficulty of finding people to fill the position and lack of time in the semester for another transition; The Tufts Daily meanwhile had cemented its concerns about printing work from a public editor to which the public might deem impartial and compromised. However, the cordial exchange had left all the participants with an abiding respect for each others' work, a refreshing realization of the tremendous work, dedication and good faith to which we all invest into our work in campus media.
Since that meeting, I have often been asked if I bear ill will toward The Tufts Daily or The Primary Source for their resistance to my ascendance to the public editor position. The truth is, my respect and faith in these publications is stronger than ever. In a world where principles are often discarded, these campus institutions courageously refused to compromise on their definitions of the public editor's role.
In an ideal world, the public editor would be completely detached from all involvement with third−party campus media organizations, residing in a bubble of insulation that would all but ensure fairness and partiality. However, as is often the case with life, circumstances present an all−too−inconvenient dose of complexity. In this community of about 5,000, it can be difficult to recruit the perfect person for the public editorship, especially in light of a sudden resignation. My selection as public editor does not represent the ideal situation, but rather the reality of such circumstances, the result of a difficult choice that was made by the MAB executive board given the inherent difficulty and time involved with finding someone to fill the position.
Going forward, I want to clarify several things. Firstly, as a public editor who admits that he serves in less than ideal circumstances, it will be my intention to only complete the remaining months of Duncan Pickard's term, the previous public editor whom my appointment was intended to replace. In the meantime, I will assist the MAB in finding a strong candidate for the next academic year. From an administrative perspective, I will also go about enhancing the resources and support of the office. Finally, I will continue to comment on and critique on−campus media issues (albeit not in the Daily); my columns and op−eds can be found mainly on the Public Editor's blog on the MAB Web site, as well as other publications and platforms.
During the past few weeks, given all the ups and the downs of the public editorship and the questions and controversy that have surrounded my tenure, I have tried to stay true to the one principle that has guided my career at Tufts thus far: to fundamentally leave our community in better condition than when I found it. It is with this spirit and ethos that I will serve as public editor for the next two months. My hope is not simply to strengthen the office of public editor, but to do so in a way that enables it to be more relevant in the lives and issues of the Tufts media community and student body. Moreover, during the next two months, instead of just commenting and observing, I hope to engage in true dialogue. I encourage you to reach out to me via e−mail at Shabazz.Stuart@tufts.edu or Facebook.com with your comments, questions or concerns on the state of campus media.
My name is Shabazz Stuart, and it's truly an honor to be your public editor.
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Shabazz Stuart is a junior majoring in political science and sociology. He is the public editor and is co-president and founder of Tufts Roundtable, a non-partisan on-campus social media platform.
