Since 2022, the Daily has published 35 collectively written opinion pieces on issues relevant to Tufts students under what is called the Editorial Board. But what does this board entail, and why does its position matter? We, the Daily’s seventh Editorial Board, believe it is time to finally define who we are, what we do and why our work within the Daily matters.
We are a group of select writers and editors who serve as the institutional voice of the Daily’s editorial board. Together, we draw on diverse experiences across the opinion, news, features, arts and production sections, as well as the Ethics and Inclusion Committee, with representation from the Daily’s managing board, executive board and staff. To uphold the integrity of the Daily’s news, features, arts, sports and science coverage, we refrain from writing or editing for those sections, ensuring that our editorials remain fully independent.
Our goal is to provide thoughtful discussions on issues concerning all Tufts students and our local communities in order to encourage pluralistic and nuanced dialogue about important campus, local and political matters. Some of our articles may focus on an issue unique to the Tufts campus, and other times we may engage with how the Tufts community fits into a broader conversation. Through collective writing, we hope to reflect a diverse array of viewpoints and promote conversation across differences at Tufts. We recognize that we represent a very small percentage of the Tufts population and that we will never be able to represent the voice of the whole Tufts student body, and we don’t strive to. We are, instead, a collective voice of experienced Daily writers refining our views through rigorous debate.
The process behind each editorial is designed so that it is representative of as many perspectives within the Daily as possible. Every piece begins with our editorialists collaborating to pitch and develop an argument. Once a draft is ready, it is shared with the Daily’s 42-member executive board for feedback. After incorporating that feedback, the chair of the Editorial Board makes final edits before the piece is reviewed by the managing board. Finally, like any other article, the editorial undergoes copy editing before publication. Our articles go through multiple rounds of fact-checking to make sure they meet our standards of journalistic integrity and align with our commitment to the truth.
From light-hearted pieces about a campus pub to discussions of heavier issues such as campus safety during protests, we hope to engage our readers on topics that matter most to students and faculty alike — whether in agreement or disagreement. We call on our administration to act with urgency when the circumstances demand it, call on our community to speak louder when their words go unheard and call on ourselves to bring timely issues to the forefront. When Tufts is silent on things that matter, we will not be.
The Daily is committed to creating a platform for all members of the Tufts community to feel comfortable expressing their opinion on relevant university, local and national issues. The Editorial Board believes in the right to question the institutions and structures that govern us without fear of retaliation and aims to reflect that in our editorials, while encouraging you all to do the same.
