4 - The Michigan Daily - Friday, March 17, 2006 OPINION clbrj M irbirgtu 43uiI DoNN M. FRESARD Editor in Chief EMILY BEAM CHRISTOPHER ZBROZEK Editorial Page Editors ASHLEY DINGES Managing Editor EDITED AND MANAGED BY STUDENTS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN SINCE 1890 420 MAYNARD STREET ANN ARBOR, MI 48109 tothedaily@michigandaily.com NOTABLE QUOTABLE Maybe the future would have shown that my father was right and that he was a pioneer." - Remy Martinot, after afaulty freezer thawed his cryogenically frozen parents, thus ending their quest for immortality, as reported this morning by guardian.co.uk. ;c c &~ z *. ± * Unsigned editorials reflect the official position of the Daily's editorial board. All other signed articles and illustrations represent solely the views of their author. RYAN JABER JUST IMAKES NUD t That ain't news ANDREW BIELAK BuRN'Nc BRIDGES ne doesn't need a doctorate in communica- tions studies to surmise that the American news media has its fair share of problems. With web- sites and blogs present- ing easily digestible info bites set to a read- er's political leanings, sales for standard print journalism have drasti- cally fallen and print media are facing extensive cost-cutting measures. Having long endured a calculated attack 'of "liberal bias," many media outlets have responded by becoming hyper- polarized and exploiting political bias. Journal- istic credibility has been wrought with question marks the media largely served as a mouthpiece for the Bush administration during the buildup to the war in Iraq. Taking into account all the current issues with our country's news media, perhaps nothing is more frightening than the state of American tele- vision news. Longstanding as the favorite source information for the majority of Americans, tele- vised media simply does whatever it can to keep its viewers tuned in and entertained. Generally, these tactics focus on special-interest stories and sensationalism as a means of instant gratifica- tion, while long-running coverage of international issues or investigative journalism gets thrown by the wayside. In between news and extensive com- mercial breaks, the average network will probably churn out a dozen blowhard pundits representing party-line interests who talk around each other in circles for an hour at a time. While one could offer a multitude of rea- sons behind the sorry state of our news, the most obvious and direct one pertains to its single-minded corporate interests. Over the past 20 years, ownership of the country's major media outlets has become increasingly concentrated in the hands of a few major con- glomerates, expanding and increasing profits. This media takeover is the direct result of federal policies that have loosened restric- tions and allowed for a gradual centralization of power within the industry. With most time now devoted to marketing techniques and cost-saving measures, the idea of public interest has progressively become more of a painful nuisance than a clear goal of our news media. We can't really blame the owners of these companies for approaching the industry with this mindset; the pursuit of such a lofty ideal as general welfare of the people isn't likely to thrive within the business world. Undoubtedly, the corporate trend is not only taking place among televised media, as the major companies that own these stations are also in con- trol of a large portion of print and i-adio outlets. But while functioning as American's chief source for information and remaining highly susceptible to changes within the marketplace, the impact that corporate consolidation has had on television news has been more powerful and harmful than in any other area. With the increasing dominance of major media outlets, efforts to serve or represent groups that are not necessarily consumers of products advertised or large contributors to profits - low-income minorities, for example - are increasingly viewed as an inconvenience. Areas of coverage that do not generate instant entertainment - social inequity, for example - are tossed aside in favor of sensa- tionalist stories that generate interest among view- ers who bring the most revenue to a company. What's even more dangerous than the cov- erage, however, has been the television news media's increasingly pliant and subservient rela- tionship to the presidency. During the Clinton years, we saw the emergence of aggressive spin, a political device in which presidential spokes- men and advisors distorted or approached the news in a particular way as to twist it totheir liking. Now mastered and one-upped in the Bush presidency, the tactics of spin and deceit the current administration employs - from attacking unfavorable news stories to placing fake journalists in ads supporting its Medicare program - denote a consistent lack of respect for a free, independent media. More than any other outlet, network and cable news have func- tioned as parrots to the rhetoric of the admin- istration - mimicking its words to the public without a scant attempt at critical analysis. OK, so through this whole critique, we must cede a certain point: Television news is a business - one that ultimately is interested in profiting and expanding. And yet why do we get a persistent feeling that this business must function differently from some of our other major industries? Perhaps it's the notion that an informed citizenry, educated across social and racial divides, is essential for a country aiming to be representative of the people. Or maybe it's just that distant, faint voice in our heads telling us that a state without an indepen- dent, aggressive media - willing to make serving the public interest a central objective - does not deserve the title of democracy. Bielak can be reached at anbielak@umich.edu True love or weird science? SOWMYA KRISHNAMURTHY AiUDI ALTERAM RARTEM ove sucks. That dining a girl does not ensure men a positive ROI snag a soulmate. Unfortunately it's not clear seems to be the (return on investment - a euphemism I'm sure how the service accounts for lengthy flights or general consen- most of you can figure out by yourselves). Trans- unforeseen delays which, given a bad match, sus among girls on this lation: Why buy the cow when you can get the could be a problem. campus. As the weather chickenhead for free? Perhaps the most brutal trend in nontradi- gets warmer - raising There is a difference between being realisti- tional dating is the background check. Tradi- temperatures and short- cally selective and holding out for the unattain- tionally, if you wanted information on a mate ening skirts - spring's able, but the notion that there is something wrong you would have to secretly tap into the local onset appears to lack the with having expectations is ridiculous. Our entire gossip network, probing friends and exes. romance usually inher- lives, as both men and women, we are taught to But with sites like Don'tDateHimGirl.com ent in the season. Even Facebook, the gospel of strive for the best - to aim for the highest glades and WomanSavers.com, sifting through your collegiate life, reflects a level of cynicism; more or most prestigious jobs, and this is no different. significant other's dirty laundry has become than 1,000 members from the University display Sorry, but no matter how you slice it, a date at the surprisingly easy. Largely female-centric, their relationship status as "single" or "it's com- Union Subway does not translate into a trip to a these services list men who have cheated on plicated," which amounts to a whole lot of Friday quaint French bistro. their partners including pictures of the cul- nights spent alone. Of course, the business world has responded prits, so that others are saved from having the How can this be? With a student body of nearly with a host of cures for the lovelorn. A devia- same experience. So much for leaving the past 40,000 intelligent and diverse candidates, where tion from established mediums like match.com, behind. I visited both sites and, luckily for the has the love gone? the next generation of e-romance offerings is a men of this campus, did not find any students Perhaps the problem is not so much finding bit more unorthodox. Chemistry.com, a subsid- listed, although anyone dating a Tim B. from someone as it is finding someone worthwhile. iary of match.com, was started by a "biologi- Ann Arbor should be wary because he alleg- This feat is more difficult than it seems, for in a cal anthropolpgist and expert in the science of edly "cheated three times and lied continuous- world where alcohol-induced random hookups - human attraction" and utilizes a patent-pending ly throughout an eight year relationship." best reserved for Welcome Week - and watching personality assessment. By answering hard-hit- For college students and the larger population illegally downloaded DVDs in a dorm room con- ting questions about inkblots and the length of of 89 million single adults in this country, it's stitute courtship, it's no wonder that finding that your ring finger in relation to the index finger, unclear how technology will redefine the art of meaningful relationship can be nearly impossible. you can find a love match. I suppose my stub- dating. Hopefully the benefits of speed and con- A common argument is that women are sin- by ring finger explains why all of my matches venience will not overshadow the most important gle because of their own doing. My guy friends were 40-year-old men from central Michigan. facet of relationships - making a genuine, lasting are quick to preach that University women are Another unique scheme is AirTroductions. It connection with another human being. presumptuous snobs whose inflated egos and pairs up travelers with the same flight itinerar- demands cannot be satisfied by, anyone. Not only ies for an on-air introduction. Perfect for multi- Krishnamurthy can be reached at that, but, economically speaking, wining and taskers, along with that pack of peanuts you can sowmyak@umich.edu Send all letters to the editor to LETTERS TO THE EDITOR tothedaily@michigandaily. com. ... As a party, we will flex our strong relationship with the City of Ann Arbor to force the police to combat the crimes that really cause harm. Of course, as a primarily political organization, we'll also be on the streets personally, singing union hymns into the morning while lecturing ne'er-do-wells on the virtues of socialist collectivism.... From "MPP: 'M' is for Marx," a viewpoint from LSA junior Daniel Ray, the Michigan Progressive Party's LSA-SG vice-presidential candidate. Read the rest at our blog, The Podium, at www.michigandaily.com. Editorial Board Members: Amy Anspach, Andrew Bielak, Kevin Bunkley, Gabrielle D'Angelo, Whitney Dibo, Milly Dick, Sara Eber, Jesse Forester, Mara Gay, Jared Goldberg, Ashwin Jagan- nathan, Mark Kuehn, Frank Manley, Kirsty McNamara, Rajiv Prabhakar, Katherine Seid, Ben Some MSA candidates are anti-human rights TO THE DAILY: An anti-human rights position in mainstream politics is almost unheard of. Opponents of human rights argue that they're too costly, that there's nothing we can do and that we don't have a responsibility to do anything. No successful politician supports a human rights violation, but rather washes his hands of the violation and looks away. The opposition lies in the inaction. What I saw today on the Diag was extraordi- nary. Crying "bring back Coke," some Michigan Student Assembly candidates hope to be elected on an anti-human-rights platform. Not an ignore- what they have done to support human rights. I'm just going to ask if they actively oppose them. And, if they don't, I'll take their pamphlet, glance at their name and wait to throw it away until I'm at a garbage can where they probably won't see me. Now that's grassroots. Peter Shapiro LSA junior The letter writer is an executive in Amnesty International. Taliban no comparison to American right wing TO THE DAILY: In his letter to the editor (American right wing freedom to criticize the administration as much as he wants to. If you disagreed with the Taliban, you were killed. Perhaps instead of making ridic- ulous comparisons between evangelical Christi- anity and terrorist regimes, Morgan and the rest of the liberal community should focus on more positive solutions to war, poverty, health care and other important issues facing our country. If lib- erals fail to do so, in 2008 we may find someone just as conservative as Bush sitting in the White House for four more years. Eric Kumbier LSA freshman Embattled residential advisor should be silenced