4 - Tuesday, November 6, 2007 The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com 4 [ e iic[ ig n il Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan since 1890. 420 Maynard St. Ann Arbor, MI 48109 tothedaily@umich.edu IMRAN SYED JEFFREY BLOOMER EDITORIAL PAGE EDITOR MANAGING EDITOR I support them - people get the wrong idea about how much writers make." - Comedian Jay Leno, expressing his support for the Writers Guild of America, which began a strike yesterday, as reported yesterday at CNN.com. a KARL STAMPFL EDITOR IN CHIEF Unsigned editorials reflect the official position of the Daily's editorial board. All other signed articles and illustrations represent solely the views of their authors. The Daily's public editor, Paul H. Johnson, acts as the readers' representative and takes a critical look at coverage and content in every section of the paper. Readers are encouraged to contact the public editor with questions and comments. He can be reached at publiceditor@umich.edu. Council of none City Council needs more competition and dissent here is an election in Ann Arbor today, but most students , wouldn't know that. Busy though we may be champion- ing presidential candidates and faraway causes, most of us tend to ignore local elections. Indeed, not many students even bother to register to vote in Ann Arbor or even know that that's an option. It is easy to criticize students for being oblivious of the politics of the city that they call home for most of the year, but the problem is bigger than that. Not a single Ann Arbor City Council seat up for election is being seriously contested. This election is literally a foregone conclusion, and that is never acceptable under Shades of meaning ften when I was a reporter, a source or a reader would call to complain abouta story, and while listening to those concerns I realized the prob- lem wasn't with the story, but with the" headline. I believe this is the case with some of the reader concerns over sto- PAUL H. ries that appeared in the Daily in the JOHNSON past two weeks. One reader said that a story that with the headline and subhead "Connerly's crusade continues, Anti-affirmative action ballot initiatives planned for five more states in 2008" (10/24/2007) was inaccurate. Another reader thought the headline "Racist hazing among Greeks?" (10/30/2007) was unfair. The first reader said because Mich- igan's Proposal 2 did not ban all forms of affirmative action, the headline and the story were inaccurate. The reader said: "To refer to Prop 2 as a ban on affirmative action is simply dishonest." While I don't think the Daily was trying to be dishonest, the reader has a point. Proposal 2 does not restrict other forms of affirmative action, such as preferences based on age or veteran's status. Therefore the headline could be seen as inaccurate. But the reader's problem with this headline demon-. strates the difficulties writers often face when crafting headlines. Given tight space to convey the cen- tral meaning of a news story, nuance is often left out. At the Daily, front page headlines are written by Manag- ing News Editor Andrew Grossman. "The space is limited," Grossman said. "We try to be as specific as pos- sible, but that's not always possible." The paper also uses subheads, which appear below the main headline, and kickers, which appear above the main headline, to better describe the main focus of a particular story. Editor in Chief Karl Stampfl has final approval of all headlines in The Statement, news and opinion sections and can rewrite them if he feels they are inaccurate, insensitive or just plain wrong. "I want the tone of the headline to fit the tone of the story," Stampfi said. Writing a headline for the affirma- tive action story was tough because the Daily had to sum ups complex issue in a small amount of space without using big words. "It's very hard to convey subtlety," Grossman said. It's just not possible to convey all the information about Proposal 2 solely ina headline. That said, I would like to note that in recent stories about affirmative action, the Daily has said Proposal 2 bans race- and gender-based affirma- tive action. The text of the amendment to the Michigan state constitution actually bans preferences based on "race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin." I think it's important the Daily accurately represent in future stories about Proposal 2 what the amendment actually does, since national origin is a characteristic independent of race. I don't think it is necessary to point out on every occasion what Proposal 2 doesn't ban, but it should note accu- rately what the proposal does cover. The second story "Racist haz- ing among Greeks?" raised concerns because of the use of the word racist. That story dealt with an accusation that a fraternity on campus was using hazing tactics that were insensitive to Mexicans. To the reader, the headline made it seem as though the Daily had already decided racism had occurred and therefore was not -covering the story objectively. But I believe the question mark saves the headline, and itshowsthe Dailyunderstands thatthe interpretation over what happened on that street in Ann Arbor seemed rac- ist to some but might be seen another way by a different group of people. Grossman seems to be aware of the problems that words pose to readers and writers alike. "Words have shades of meaning," he said. When writing headlines, Grossman said, "you're trying to get as close to the shade of the meaning as possible." Writing headlines presents a unique challenge. The story about possible racist haz- ing by fraternities leads me to discuss one issuethatis ofconcerntotheGreek system on campus in regards to head- lines, the use of the word "frat." Daily policy is to refrain from using that word in news stories except in quotations by a source and to avoid if possible the use of the word frat in headlines. The word is deeply offensive to fra- ternities, and I think the Daily should ban the 'word from its headlines. If a group on campus finds the use of a word highly insensitive, the Daily should do more than just avoid the use of the word in headlines, it should ban the word from its headlines altogether, especially if the word is already forbid- den in the text of a news storyexcept if used by a source. Paul H. Johnson is the Daily's public editor. He can be reached at publiceditor@umich.edu i any conception of democracy. One of the two City Council seats in every one of Ann Arbor's five wards will be filled in today's election. With no Republicans running and only the long-shot write-in campaign of Edwin Amonsen in their way, Democrats will almost certainly once again take every seat. Sabra Briere, who handily beat out for- mer councilman John Roberts and Uni- versity employee Richard Wickboldt in the Democratic primary in August, will win the open seat in Ward 1. Incumbent Stephen Rapundalo (who was not challenged in the primary) will overwhelm Amonsen to keep his seat. Incumbent Leigh Greden, who fought off a challenge from LuAnne Bull- ington in August, will keep his seat in Ward 3. Incumbent Marcia Higgins, who was not challenged in the primary and won't be challenged today, will keep her seat in Ward 4. Finally, Mike Anglin, who beat incumbent Wendy Woods in the August primary, will take the open seat in Ward 5. The fact that we know before the election exactly whothe winners willbe is ridiculous. Ann Arbor is hardly a slice of heaven where everything is perfect and everyone agrees; there are plenty of points of contention. There are many important issues that the City Council will decide this year, including the lack of affordable housing, green space, commuter rails and parking. Because there are no differing views in today's election to consider and vote upon, the people of Ann Arbor have been unfairly robbed of a chance to voice dissent. City elections are most directly affected by residents who choose to rise up and be the voices of dissent themselves. This was what Wickboldt did, and though his platform left much to be desired, he did at least take a stand against the policies that he disliked. It is the job of Ann Arbor residents to speak up and bring differing viewpoints to City Coun- cil. The city may be overwhelmingly liberal, but there should at least be some indepen- dent and third-party candidates raising hell in the general elections. Such campaigns are not as unlikely as one might think; no one gave Anglin a chance against Woods in the primary, and yet Anglin won the old-fash- ioned way, by knocking on doors and speak- ing to voters. Students themselves must play a larger role in City Council. We gripe when City Council drags its feet on installing proper streetlights in our neighborhoods and when it restricts parking in student neighbor- hoods, but we are always too complacent to actually do something about it. Eugene Kang, then a University student, ran for City Council two years ago and almost won. Other students must follow in his way. Stu- dents, along with Ann Arbor's other resi-. dents, have a responsibility to ensure that future elections are more contested and that no one person or viewpoint geta free ride in Ann Arbor politics. I I do not. own these words EMAD ANSARI The real Pakistan Is Pakistanreally the most dangerous coun- try in the world? Do Pakistanis fear returning from work to find a Voldemort-esque Dark Mark hanging over their houses? Does it take a police escort to get a bus full of students safely to school? These are stereotypes that have circulated for several years and inten- sified recently in light of President Pervez Musharraf's strong-arming. These things are said so often that most Americans, having no other way of understanding Pakistan, take them to be true. Much has been said on how the diversity that is so vital for the University's academic atmosphere is to be preserved. But what use is that diversity if we let our misconceptions dictate our understandings instead'of using the possibilities diversity offers? Limited portrayals of foreign countries, like those of Pakistan cited above, produce stereotypes that are very easy to believe, and many peo- ple blindly subscribe to them. Diversity offers the opportunity to question and dispel such unfair stereotypes. The University is certainly the place to take advantage of that opportunity. Its admissions packetboasts of a diverse studentbody- mem- bers of which hail from 129 countries. That is an impressive statistic, prospectively opening up two-thirds of the world to a student enter- ing the University. In the two months that I have been at the University, I have seen some amusing assumptions on how I, as an internation- al student from Pakistan, must have lived before coming to America. Common mis- conceptions include the belief that just about everything costs $2 in Pakistan and that the entire nation is an uninhabitable desert. The more serious and potentially harm- ful assumptions are derived from news sto- ries covering the recent suicide bombing in Karachi or rumors of extremists hiding in the mountains between Afghanistan and Pakistan. It's not surprising that most people don't know how people in Pakistan, Cam- eroon or Egypt live ordinary lives. Routine, everyday life in foreign countries isn't impor- tant enough to make headlines. It's easy, in the absence of this information, to assume that the events earning front-page coverage are representative of -everyday life in that particular country. But contrary to what this coverage would have you believe, Pakistan really isn't a place where everyone supports radical Islamists and holds anti-American beliefs, and there's no covert civil war going on. One horrendous act of terrorism doesn't make any country the most dangerous in the world, nor does it entail that every Pakistani is an extrem- ist. What is assumed to be the general trend, according to many depictions, is actually the situation in a province that is home to just 3 percent of Pakistan's total population. That's like using the crime rate in Detroit's Cass Corridor as representative of the crime rate for all of America. The picture that most people don'tget to see is that the life of a student in Pakistan is, while not exactly the samevery similar to that of the average American student. Both occasionally eat out at Pizza Hut, listen to the Red Hot Chili Peppers, struggle with their SATs and ardently follow their favorite sports teams. Certainly, that's only true of a limited number of people in Pakistan, because the country also has pov- erty issues, but no one lives in fear of being kidnapped or mugged, and no one has to dodge landmines to get to the mall. The last thing anyone - not just Pakistanis or Turks or Germans - wants is to be stereo- typed and misrepresented, and the only way to avoid doing so is by taking advantage of the opportunities that the University offers through its strong international community. So go to the next event the Indian American Students Association presents or the next con- cert sponsored by the Pakistani Students Asso- ciation. Take a class about different cultures and attend lectures put on by the International Institute. You'll find that Pakistani culture really isn't all that extreme or scary. Emad Ansari is an LSA freshman and a member of the Daily's editorial board. T he University recently announced a plan to warn stu- dents who are uploading files on their comput- ers that they couldw unwittingly be breaking the law. , Be Aware You're Uploading is an automated system thatsends ane-mail to students who are uploading files using certain pro- ROBERT grams. The system SOAVE was put in place to - warn students of the danger of the Recording Industry Association of America targeting stu- dents who might not even be aware that their actions are illegal. When charged with the crime, it is usually easier for students to settle out of court than to face the hassle of legal proceedings. BAYU is an excellent way to spare some students from the RIAA's cruel legal tactics by educating them. However, such programs should be unnecessary; there should be no need to educate students about illegal file sharing, because file sharingshould not beillegal. No matter how vehemently the record companies fight to protect the rights to their music, music is simply not something that can be owned. The tangible disc that you buy from the store can be owned, but the informa- tion on it cannot. How can one pos- sibly lay claim to information? The information on a CD does not exist in any physical sense. People who down- load music online are often accused of stealing from the artist. But in order for a theft to occur, you must take something from someone. If I take my friend's apple, I have sto- len it, because my friend no longer has access to the apple when it is in my pos- session. If I download a song from the Internet, I have not prevented anyone else from having access to it, because I have only taken information that can be easily reproducedby anyone an infi- nite number of times. Downloading music represents a free-rider problem: Everyone can use and enjoy music without depleting its overall availability. The artists should seek compensation in forms that they are able to control, such as concerts and albums made under their record label. The music itself is too abstract a con- cept to reasonably belong to anyone. It is not unreasonable to lay claim to objects that a person controls. The def- inition of property is only what each person can claim as his or her own: I have no authority to.claim that an idea belongs to me when every other per- son in the world could have the exact same idea. Such a ridiculous claim is impossible to substantiate. Then again our society has come up with a method for substantiating ridiculous claims. We have copyright laws that punish the theft of ideas that can never be technically stolen. Copyright laws are an assault on the idea of the freedom of information. With these vague laws, the govern- ment enforces the idea that a person or a corporation can own words and sounds. The RIAA demands compen- sation for something that I have not stolen but merely acquired because of the abstract and intangible nature of music on the Internet. Critics might argue that musicians should be able to own their music because they created it and you should own anything that you create by default. But again, information cannot be owned; it is not something that can be touched, held, hidden away, stolen or legitimately claimed without gov- ernment interference to back it. Creation is a poor argument for ownership at any rate; it would make it pretty tough to own land. People own land because they simply laid claim to it, and because it was something that could actually be controlled by a person's own abilities. Only with the government's random mandates could anyone actually lay claim to something as abstract as information that is sent over the Internet. I would never download a song off the Internet without buying it, because I respect the talent that cre- ated it. I want to thank the artist by Ideas cannot be owned - or stolen. paying for his creation, and I want to own the official CD with the official album artwork. If I downloaded the music illegally, I would feel like I was not a truly devout fan of the artist. But such an action should not make me a criminal. The idea that information can be owned.is quite terrifying. Where will intellectual property rightsend? Today, the government defends companies that claim to own music. Tomorrow, it may defend people who claim to have invented new feelings and emotions. Such abstract claims of ownership may seem ridiculous, but the government has already stretched copyright laws past any definable form by criminaliz- ing file sharing over the Internet. Robert Soave can be reached at rsoave@umich.edu 0 a LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: Readers are encouraged to submit letters to the editor. Letters should be less than 300 words and must include the writer's full name and University affiliation. All submissions become property of the Daily. We do not print anonymous letters. Send letters to tothedaily@umich.edu. CHRIS KOSLOWSKI .atdo think of Paul enew publicred'r? Youknow, we I really stop thaL. Haven'tyou ever I a i co d Oes rthis eae teard t you shouldn't t bite we can't mae fun of the he hand that feeds yu? 4 CID/ A0 I I EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS: Emad Ansari, Anindya Bhadra, Kevin Bunkley, Ben Caleca, Jon Cohen, Milly Dick, Mike Eber, Gary Graca, Emmarie Huetteman, Theresa Kennelly, Emily Michels, Robert Soave, Jennifer Sussex, Neil Tambe, Matt Trecha, Radhika Upadhyaya, Rachel Wagner, Patrick Zabawa ,r ,