'I A Ite £d ian Datt Eighty-two years of editorial freedom Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan 420 Maynard St., Ann Arbor, Mich. News Phone: 764-0552 Editorials printed in The Michigan Daily express the individual opinions of staff writers or the editors. This must be noted in all reprints. WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 13, 1972 DES: Morning-after misery? CRITICISM OF the morning-after pill and those who distribute it went na- tionwide Monday when Ralph Nader's Health Research Group released a report faulting university health centers - in particular this University's - for dis- pensing the pill without adequate warn- ings. + The report, based on surveys conducted by Advocates for Medical Information, showed that among the respondents, very few were given adequate follow-ups and few were questioned about their own or their family's medical history when they were given diethylstilbestrol (DES), a carcinogenic drug, at Health Service. The Nader report said -college women are being used as guinea pigs without even the most rudimentary observance of professional standards and informed consent." Dr. Robert Anderson, director of Health Service, said yesterday that the prescribing of the morning-after pill has been left as an individual matter be- tween each physician and patient. He said that patients are now required to sign a release form, which notes that the Food and Drug Administration has not approved the morning-after pill, that states that the pill is an "emergency mea- sure," that requires the woman to state that she does not think she is pregnant by a previous exposure - as DES can cause cancer in fetuses that are not aborted. ANDERSON said it's possible Health Service will stop dispensing the drug, but he hopes not because he claims 'no cases of cancer have been found in wo- men who took the drug - except in very abnormal situations." Today' sStaff: News: Dan Biddle, Dave Burhenn, Mike Duweck, Gene Robinson, Nancy Ros- enboum It seems that if Health Service recog-, nizes some of the dangers of the morn- ing-after pill in the statement women are supposed to sign, that should be rea- son enough to stop administering the pill. If DES has been banned by the FDA from the feed of market bound livestock, shouldn't it be banned from the medicine cabinets of Health Service, where it is found and prescribed in much larger amounts. Action should be taken immediately- perhaps by the Office of Student Services Health Service Policy Board--to remedy the situation. This University, where an experiment popularized the use of the morning-after pill and spread it to other campuses, should take a leadership role in banning this pill. While the intentions of Health Serv- ice - helping women avoid unwanted pregnancy - are admirable, the methods used are not. -SARA FITZGERALD Editor Bad bellicose ! i barbigerosiy THE STRICT constructionists may have their way once again. When Ann Arbor finally passed a court-approved sign ordinance to reduce visual pollution it was indeed a happy day. Now, however, that sign ordinance threatens to outlaw the only revolving sidewalk barbershop pole in town. It is time the City Fathers and Mother mixed crinose compassion with consum- erism, humanism with humdrum hass- ling, and retreated a step from this heavy-handed law and order encroach- ment on the red and white symbol of America's hirsute heritage. Barbers have it rough enough here, with so few customers to clip. T'would be sad indeed if the sign ordinance were taken as a concession to barbigerosity, and not to beauty.' -ARTHUR LERNER Editorial Director We are By FRIENDS OF NEWSREEL FRIENDS OF NEWSREEL is obliged to respond to what mght seem to be points of substance in Terry Martin's sensational compilations of gossip, printed in the Dec. 9 Daily under the front-page headline, "Fur- ther Findings: Evidence linking film groups may show improper dealings;" and on the editorial page, "Who are the 'Friends of Newsreel!'?" Unfortunately, the clearest point in the two pieces is difficult to respond to: that Terry Martin and The Daily have thrown their weight into a one-sided vendetta that had been waged, up to that point, by a mere trio of personalities around the Mich- igan Union. We will not try to guess at Terry Martin's motives, or at what might have prompted The Daily to play her very under-reported innuendoes so large. We'll stick to some basic facts in a situation now further clouded by editorial bias. Of first importance in maintaining th confidence of both audiences and film dis- tributors in our work is assertions by Peter Wilde, so-called supervising projectionist and "extremely reliable source," tha we under-report our audiences, and so under- pay distributors. WE BASE our show-by-show audience re- ports on sales of serially-numbered tickets, or on closely accounted sales of tickets we might print up specially, as we did for Reefer Madness. Wilde could with the best will in the world base his estimates only on a visual impression of the crowds at shows. In any case, we are responsible, in cold dollars-and-cents terms, to film distributors for their 50 per cent to 65 per cent split of gross receipts. Wilde is re- sponsible to no one, and nothing beyond his sense of mission, whatever that might be in this matter, for his estimates. As for distributor acceptance of our re- ports, we have no complaints. But w are interested that Wilde, and Terry Martin, should have mentioned New. Line Cinema, since in that case we have some basis for comparison of accuracy. Wilde, using authority informally granted him by the auditor of student organiza- tions, good old Maury Rinkel, appointed himself projectionist on both Reefer Mad- ness and the 1st Annual N.Y. Erotic Film Festival, two New Line Cinema films shown by us this fall. While Wilde's projection job on both films was so poor that we were forced to complain to both the union and the plant department, he did have the time to develop his own estimates of the aud- ience in both cases, and call and write them into New Line Cinema in New York. In the- first case, the Erotic, New Line raised the question of Wilde's differing re- port with us. Doing some fast figuring, we pointed out to New Line that Wilde's esti- mate of the audience represented more than 90 per cent of capacity on six shows over two days in the 488-seat Natural Science Auditorium. We asked them if they had even heard of such a percentage of such capacity in all their experience of campus showings. They laughed, and called Wilde's estimate "crazy." In the case of Reefer Madness, New Line the Frie did not even question our verbal report. In the first instance, because they had already discounted Wilde as a source of even reasonably accurate estimates. And in the case of their own "spotter," quoted by Wilde and Martin in support of their charg- es, because the spoter had already told them, as he must have told Wilde, that he had not even been at the hall for several of the shows. To get back to the general question of the reliability of our audience reports: when a distributor comes to the conclusion that a film group does not intend to make accur- ate reports, he stops supplying them films. There has never been any question of that with any of our distributors. If the dis- tributors, whose interest in the question is far from academic, are not questioning our reports, you might ask what prompts Peter Wilde's charges. We don't really know. THE SECOND POINT of apparent sub- stance in Terry Martin's report-and-editor- ial is based on a quote from a letter writ- ten by Frank Pedi of Films, Inc., to the auditor of student organizations, good old Maury Rinkel again, in an effort to collect on $1,024.69 that Films, Inc., claims that it is owed by the defunct University of Michigan Film Society. In the letter, according to Terry Mar- tin's unauthorized quote, Frank Pedi wrote that "Friends of Newsreel (was) formerly the University of Michigan Film Society." Pedi has, since the first unauthorized quote of that letter in The Daily last Thursday, told us that "I actually had no foundation in fact for making that statement." He also said that we would willingly state that in an open letter to The Daily. Terry Martin was informed of Pedi's latest statement the day she filed her report-and-editorial. Had she made even the slightest effort to check her facts, how- ever, she might have corrected her story on the basis of records available in the Office of Student Organizations, which show that Friends of Newsreel was estab- lished before the University of Michigan Film Society, and could not possibly have succeeded it. More along that line, during the period of their coexistence, the two student organi- zations on many occasions showed f i l m s opposite one another, and at no poi'nt had any "overlapping membership," another of Terry Martin's big points. IN POINT of fact, that only "evidence" of "substantive links" between Friends of Newsreel and the defunct Film Society that Terry Martin offers is the information that both Glen Allvord, president of Friends of Newsreel, and George dePue, at one time a member of the Film Society, are both directors of the Community Media Project/ New Morning, a non-profit media coopera- tive working in the community and region- ally.. Again, in point of actual fact, George de- Pue is not at this time a registered director of the Community Media Project/New Morn- ing. Martin might have checked that at the County Building, where such informa- tion is on the public record. It is true though that when a reorganization of the non-profit ii rids of corporation is completed, Geor will be, along with Glen Allvord a a director. The source of Martin's slightly information is interesting, howl got it, she told us, from a confider statement prepared by New Morn for the publisher Doubleday, Ir she said was "at some point" i session of David Schaper, appoin urer of SGC, and self-describe man" from the Student Org Broad (SOB). What's interestin there is no way that confidential statement could have come into session of Schaper or Martin tha involve theft. Perhaps Martin imagined that was like the New York Times, an stolen credit statement was liket gon Papers. But how could sh imagine that David Schaper pos, character and values of a man d Ellsberg? In any case, the only "substan that Martin attempts to establis Community Media Project/New and the student organization F Newsreel is her assertion that ('t ing Bookstore and Newsreel shay mon telephone number." Had Martin's strictly journalistic in these pieces extended exen to of the Ann Arbor telephone book, have found that while Newsreel as 769-7353 (has been for more t years-, that New Morning Books as 761-7993. The closest. thing to "overlapp bership" is a piece of informatioi been the common property an Wilde-Schaper land presumably'T tin. There is one person who membership in both student org She is Lisa Katz, who is 1970 was graduate member of the Universit igan Film Society. But in that graduated from the University, at Newsreel! ge (ePue mround the Mi:higan Union: Rinkel-Wilde- nd others, S haper: and now Martin and The Daily have added themselves. premna ure In general, s 'ch problems with distribut- ever: She ors date from the operation of the Orson ntial credit Welles Film Society, and its strongman ning ,Books "leader," Arthur Maurello. Before his de- nc., which part-ure from the law school to Stanford n the pos- University, Maurello was charged by the rted treas- police with "receiving stolen property," and d "police- in a variety of other ways made himself ganizations a legend in his own time to film distribut- g is that ors. It took a year of prodding Rinkel and c e e d i SGC to get any action against Maurello. the pos- REGARDLESS, we will not, like some t does iot (though not all, as reported by The Daily- film groups piously submit to Schaper's in- The Daily ordinate ambitions. The powers proposed d that this under his new rules for "any two agents the Penta- of SGC" (in practical terms, himself and e possibly a friend) far exceed the powers constitution- sessed the ally granted to police to hunt down heinous ike Daniel crimes. They certainly far exceed any pow- ers that might be safely entrusted to the biggest clown in what The Daily itself has thve link"described as "the SGC circus." - h between FOR MORE than three years of associa- Morning tion with Newsreel and Polis-now-New riends of Morning Books, we have served as a pri, rew Morn- mary source of alternative media to, the re a cola- University community. For example, from March, 1970, until this September, Polis' c initiative literature table, usually sponsored by the pages Friendsrof Newsreel was set up in the she would Fishbowl or the Diag nearly every week. is listed There has been no major political event han three in the last three years that has not bene- is listed fitted from the films and literature pro- vided by Friends of Newsreel, Newsreel ing mem- and Polis. n that has Cases in point include film showings in d Rinkel- dorms and the Fishbowl in support of the erry Mar- SDS actions against military-industrial re- has held cruiting in 1969, the march against the anizations. Conspiracy 8 verdict in February, 1970, We an under- provided films and literature to Liberation y of Mich- Classes during the Black Action Movement year, she strike in March, 1970; organized and pro- nd left the vided films and literature for the People's nd moved Peace Treaty Conference in February of knn Arbor 1971. eventually In addition, we have run a series of free ause, she films on the Diag during the summer of f showing 1971, and from October through November, with SGC support, in the Union. Topics in- of Lisa's cluded the struggles against imperialism, s both to racism and sexism. We continued the latter sclosures" series through February, 1972, after SGC e of The withdrew its support. ident that We have long felt, though, that the pni- irit of a mary focus of our energies should be off- mation in campus, in the community, among the work- ing class and poor people who are most concerned denied the media information, skills and re- onfidence. sources available in the University. , in prac- With Newsreel and Polis, Friends of d leaders Newsreel have shown films free to striking ante time, workers at the Buhr Machine Tool Cor- with every porationr(August, 1971- and to CPHA work- he single ers (March, 1972) during their strike. We eproblem (Coatinued on Page 7) 4 41 i wI . Film Society and to Iowa. She only and the University joined Friends of says, "I like the good movies." We make this Ann Arbor, an returned to A this fall ande Newsreel bec excitement of "confession"{ membership in both organization forestall any later dramatic "dis of her name on the front pag Daily, and because we are conf. people uninfected with the sp: "witch-hunt" can see this inforn perspective. FRIENDS OF NEWSREEL ist about problems with distributor c We have to deal with them daily tice, unlike any of the self-electe of this witch-hunt. But at the sa we enjoy good working relations w distributor of our choice, witht exception of Films, Inc., and the there does not originate from an per practices" on our part. Our problem there originates in less and irresponsible charges, bo off the record, of a trio of per . Editorial Page: Linda Rosenthal, Schoch, Martin Stern Arts Page: Gloria Jane Smith. Ph'oto Technician: Denny Gainer Eric. y 'impro- the base- th on and rsonalities This article is a shortened Friends of Newsreel's response prinl!d in The Daily. version of to articles r._+________:.__'y______x_:/._,__C__',"________.::: .., ,.r. Y'{: . . . . . . . .:.<.,a'n" "C' i. . ..;k ,________________ . u *ns~ . ::. m:. a l~dffl....A...vvvtvlfllW.V~.W,.... x.a: _~ . e" v~u, .....:.a,.v:'X.': ,.ia..:.k«.,..-.a,.s' ...........<...>.. .. . . . . ..7 t. k , *V.'.N"..' :"; s:"3i3lCi:;'":al:'v ::trr'vii:Ci¢.vl.:^::".".."ha°. J"J J hJdrs'.8 .Y"ii{S. -1 . I 1 9 7 IN 2 REVIEW I A I k)). '? THE YEAR a rte- k '4 A o ;° l taL .aeittw 7gr a+na Peace negotiations with the enemy continued. The McGovern andwagon broke down. To ' S J I.; T y M n (ry" i v :r v t 7 ta'f{ K. : p SS y£ m f I Aor o f ,_ I a4+ y v I r Mw7 d j IAV~ /.1 '"