Our Renewed Commitment

The Salient was founded in 1981 in pursuit of truth and to restore Harvard’s tradition of thoughtful, balanced discourse. Over the past months, the Salient has strayed from that purpose. 

The forefathers of conservatism, from Edmund Burke to Abraham Lincoln, understood that the moral equality of all human beings must underpin any discussion of their rights and privileges. They understood that freedom of discourse cannot supersede the responsibilities we have toward one another. And they understood that the gates of conservatism must be guarded from the trends that capture the minds of each generation, whether they arise from the left or the self-described right.  

Conservatives have faced such threats before. In the early 1960s, William F. Buckley, Russell Kirk, and Barry Goldwater successfully excommunicated the John Birch Society—a fringe political organization intent on repurposing the American right for conspiracist ends—from a burgeoning conservative movement. The conviction and bravery of these stalwarts allowed the conservative movement to survive and flourish.  

As reported in the Harvard Crimson, we have recently taken action against those in our own ranks who used their positions to create a noxious culture and pursue an editorial direction that does not represent our values. The fringe group that sought to co-opt the Salient has resigned from the organization. 

There is no place for antisemitism, misogyny, bigotry, or any kind of hate at the Salient—or in the conservative movement that it seeks to uphold. I speak for the whole of the Salient’s editorial team when I say that we apologize to our readers, the entire Harvard community, and conservatives everywhere for allowing Harvard’s sole conservative publication to become a platform for hate.  

As the new Managing Editor of the Salient, I intend to restore your trust in our work and mission. This will take time. Moving forward, I will ensure that our future actions, as well as our words, prove that the events of the past few months do not represent our principles—or our team—in any way. No matter what the far left or identitarian right may say, hate is not, never has been, and cannot be truly conservative. With this tradition in mind, we at the Salient recommit ourselves to our original purpose. 

Jason Morganbesser ’27 (jmorganbesser@college.harvard.edu) is the newly appointed Managing Editor of the Salient.