* .4 PERSPECTIVES {, 4 Page 6 Thursday, September 7, 1989 The Michigan Daily -,tea I Prospect editors respond to reprinted article by Debbie Bodin, Elissa Sard, Sharon Parrott, and Ad Blumenthal The Michigan Daily violated copyright law in their "Orientation Issue" when they reprinted an article which first appeared in the March- April issue of Prospect, the Jewish student journal on campus without permission from or acknowledgement to Prospect. Amy Harmon wrote the article in question which Prospect titled "Daily Opinion Page Editor Responds to Allegations," and which appeared in the Daily as "Reflections on Zionism, Judaism and humanity." In the article under contention, Harmon defends her views as an anti- Zionist Jew. Last year, a large per- centage of the campus Jewish com- munity argued that the Daily Opinion Page's editorial stance overstepped the bounds of legitimate anti-Israel criticism and was anti- Jewish. As Daily Opinion Page editor last school year, a position which she'again holds this fall, and as a Jew, Harmon wanted to defend her anti-Zionist views to the Jewish community. Harmon approached Prospect because she wanted to address a specifically Jewish audience. Prospect staff members worked with Harmon to produce the Michigan Alumni work here: The Wall Street Journal The New York Times The Washington Post The Detroit Free Press The Detroit News NBC Sports Associated Press United Press International Scientific American Time Newsweek Sports Illustrated Because they worked here: final product. Under copywrite law, a publication which reprints an article from another publication without first obtaining permission has violated the law, even if the author works for the publication reprinting the article. The fact that Prospect spent considerable time working with Harmon strengthens its legal claim to the article. The Daily did not receive authorization from Prospect to reprint the article. Further, after learning indirectly of the Daily's intention to republish the article, Prospect Editor Debbie Bodin called the Daily expressly to deny such permission. To reprint an article without per- mission is illegal and unethical. The Daily "Orientation Issue" editors showed a flagrant disregard for the ethics of journalism. The University severely punishes people who plagiarize. If a student were to turn in a paper that he or she did not write, that student would be subject to expulsion. The editors of a campus publication who violate copyright law should face consequences for such an infraction. Harmon wrote the article specifically to address the members of the Jewish community who she felt were attacking her Jewish identity. Prospect addresses this audience; the Daily's "Orientation Issue" does not. If Harmon had intended her article for a general audience, she could have easily printed it in the Daily. Instead, it was her choice and desire to target specifically the Jewish population at the University. She sought us out; we did not ask her to write the article. Because this article was reprinted in the Daily's "Orientation Issue," a publication read almost exclusively by new students to campus, the Daily's violation is even more se- rious. The students who receive the "Orientation Issue" were not even on campus last year to witness the events to which Harmon was responding. Because the "Orientation Issue" lacked an article explaining the Jewish students' criticisms of Daily Opinion Page, the new students received a very distorted picture of the debate. The "Orientation Issue" did not mention any of the events at the core of the debate to which Harmon felt the need to respond. For example, last year's Daily contended that Israel could have been responsible for the blowing up of Flight 103 and that the movement of world Jewry to reunite the 15,000 Ethiopian Jews left in Ethiopia with their families in Israel only constitutes a ploy to push Palestinians out of Israel. It was statements like these that sparked outrage toward Harmon and the Daily among members of the Jewish community on campus. Without such background in- formation and exposure to the variety of Jewish viewpoints on campus, the "Orientation Issue" misrepresented the Jewish community and the Israel debate on campus. Incoming students could have easily believed that Harmon, who began her article with the words, "I am a Jew," exemplifies the typical Jewish student on campus. Possibly worse, new students could have accepted Harmon's characteriza- tion of other Jewish students on campus as valid. No one viewpoint typifies Jewish students at the University of Michigan. There are Jewish students at Michigan who, like Harmon, be- lieve that Zionism is racism. There are Jewish students at Michigan at the completely opposite side of theme political spectrum, believing that Zionism entitles Israel to even more territory. The vast majority of the Jewish community falls somewhere in between these two opinions. When printing Harmon's article, Prospect was attempting to show a variety of personal Jewish identities on this campus. Yet, our journal contained a balancing article to Harmon's article. The " Orientation Issue" did not contain such a piece, leaving its readers with a very biased view of the controversy. In the past, Prospect has shown a commitment to balanced reporting. In no way does this mean that we are not critical when appropriate. In fact, we have published many articles harshly critical of Israel. Yet, we always attempt to show both sides of an issue. As we start the new schoo* year, we challenge our fellow student journalists at The Michigan Daily to subscribe to a journalistic policy of balanced reporting, ethics and lawful practices. . Bodin is editor of Prospect magazine; Sard is managing editor; Parrott is associate editor; and Blumenthal is business manager.. Editor's Note: The Daily Orientation Issue reprinted Am) Harmon's article from Prospect magazine without the publication's consent. 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