Ite dl3u L&d 420 Maynard Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109 Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan RONNIE GLASSBERG ADRIENNE JANNEY Editor in Chief JOEL F. KNUTSON Editorial Page Editors Unless otherwise noted, unsigned editorials reflect the opinion of a majority of the Daily's editorial board. All other articles, letters and cartoons do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the Daily's editorial board. A W atchdogs are howling in agony as a new trend takes over the news industry: con- solidation. With the employees of The Detroit News and Free Press on strike, the Detroit Newspaper Agency has published one edition, a "scab paper," limiting the amount of informa- tion available in southern Michigan. Negotia- tions seem to be at an impass, and there is talk of permanently closing one paper. With some employees crossing the picket line, and others writing for their own online newspaper, The Detroit Journal, it is unlikely that any agreement willbereachedwithoutcasualties. The newspa- per business is becoming depressed. Throughout the country, shutdowns have plagued the newspaper industry. In recent months, the Times Mirror Co. closed New York Newsday and cut 700 jobs at the Los Angeles Times. The Houston Post and the Baltimore Evening Sun also have closed. Readership is going down - but the cost of newsprint is increasing, as is the hardship on the papers. The business is being reduced from the lofty aims of informing the public, to sheer numbers. As a result, fewer corporations will play the critical role of watchdog in American society. Mostmediacorporationsarenotconcernedwith news reporting, but with making profits. This is particularly apparent in the purchase of CBS Dangerous liaisons Consolidation is bad trend/for news business Inc. by the Walt Disney Co. and the American Broadcasting Co. by Westinghouse and the ownership of the National Broadcasting Co. by General Electric. Just as NBC was another acquisition for the quasi-monopoly of GE, DisneyviewsABCasanotherthemepark. With visions of animated rodents and profits, inves- tigative journalism will often take a back seat to popular, but less expensive stories, such as the O.J. Simpson trial. TV news could become a sensationalistic disaster. While newspaper and television fall into unstable hands, a new media is waiting to take shape - the Internet. The Internet has the potential to combat the further centralization of media authority. To put information on the Internet, one does not need an expensive print- ing press or broadcast station, only Internet access on a computer. This provides the oppor- tunity for anyone to express their opinions, which would increase the amount of ideas and discussion in society. The Internet also will likely be the future of newspapers that today struggle to compete againstup-to-the-minute televisionnews.News- papers are often not timely: A breaking story reported on last night's 11 p.m. news may have been missed by today's newspaper. But on the Internet, the written word can be updated con- stantly, providing readers with the same or greater timeliness as television. In addition, written information can be provided for less expense than a television broadcast. All a news- paper reporter needs is a pen and pad, while broadcastjournalists needcameras,cameracrew, microphone, lights and many other tools. Many newspapers have started providing information in an online format. The Detroit News, for instance, unveiled the online version of their paper the day the strike began. Despite the move to online infornation, th place for traditional newspapers remains. Fo less than 50 cents, newspapers can be rea< anywhere, and newspapers have become at important tradition for society. Many enjoy the sentimental value of reading the paper ove breakfast, on the train or in the bathroom-an many like the tangible aspect of a newspaper. I would be preferable that for as long as possib4 the printed newspaper is available as well as th< online version, providing some competition fo the Internet. While the Internet provides an opportunity t( increase the exchange of information, it is impor tant that access is not provided by only a fem companies. Microsoft has just unveiled its nev servicejoining ones such as American Online an( Compuserve. It is imperative that public access t< the Internet does not become concentrated in thes( services, limiting the information available to t' public. Otherwise, the information available it cyberspace could become concentrated into h hands of few just as with other media -or worse To ensure that journalists are able informth< public and keeping watch they must remait united throughout the impending changes. Th< Detroit News and Free Press should remaii separate to promote healthy competition. News papers must go down fighting. a Meltdown Fermi II not worth risk to community Ground zero Police should protect, not harass Jifty years ago this week, the United States ignited the Nuclear Age when it dropped atom bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Images of charred bodies sent shock waves throughout the world and will forever attest to the cataclysmic power of the atom bomb. Instead of merely ending World War II, how- ever, the bombs fused a nuclear arms race and experimentation with nuclear power. The same technology that instantly deci- mated at an estimated 250,000 people - and continues to kill countless others with cancer and related illnesses - is bringing residents of Southeast Michigan precipitously close to the front line. A mere 40 minutes from Ann Arbor, lurks the Fermi II nuclear power plant. Everyday its existence represents a sense- less threat to southeast Michigan. When using nuclear power, even the slight- est mistake could have hazardous repercus- sions. Fermi II is no exception. On Christmas Day 1993, a tarbine blade snapped without waming.Workershelplessly braced themselves as they felt the entire building shake for two minutes. The violent vibrations sounded earth- quake alarms. Shrapnel from the blade tore a hole in the protective casing of the turbine and contaminated water spilled everywhere. In order to clean up the accident, 1.5 million gallons of radioactive water was dumped into Lake Erie - part of Michigan's drink- ing supply. No one can guarantee that the move was safe. Environmentalists worry that the contamination will spread through- out the basin of the Great Lakes putting hu- mans and other animals at risk. It is anyone's guess as to how long the contaminants will linger in the water. Similar accidents occurring throughout the world show that nuclear power plants have not been able to correct the problem. According to the Nuclear Regulator Commission similar accidents have caused fires, explosions and shutdowns in at least 10 nuclear plants since 1974. Moreover, since the disaster at Fermi II, the plant has not even stepped up its security concerns. Currently, Fermi II is operating with cracked reactor shrouds that might prevent containment of radiation in the event of an accident. Even if accidents could be somehow pre- vented, it would not eliminate the harmful by- products nuclear power plants spew out every day. Plants like Fermi II release small amounts of radionuclides into the environment. Much like toxins, radionuclides accumulate and do not degrade easily. It is already established that radiation can cause celland chromosomal dam- age to natural organisms. Proponents ofnuclear power will claim that it is worth the risk -the risk of annihilating millions of people -because nuclear power is cheap and necessary. This is a myth. Fermi II was shut down for an entire year after the turbine accident. Yet, the utility company was able to meet the demand using their other non- nuclear plants. Moreover, repairing Fermi II cost in excess of $57 million - a cost reflected in utility bills to customers. Fermi 11, therefore, represents an unneces- sary burdentothe people of Southeastern Michi- gan. Even the daughter of Joseph Fermi,the namesake of the Fermi I plant, does not support putting citizens in such jeopardy. r amara Stewart, age 16, was shot and killed last week in her neighborhood, the Arbor Oak-Stonybrook Park area. In the days following the shooting, many sides to the issue have surfaced. The police have a side, the residents have another side and The Ann Arbor News seems to have yet another side. But one theme weaves through every version: gang-related violence. Claims of gang activity ring true - police believe the West Willow Crips to be respon- sible for the shooting - but the extent of the situation is not yet clear. Three weeks previous to the shooting, the area was deemed "zero tolerance," which means that no warnings are given - any minor offense is met with action. The clas- sification was adopted at the request of some residents. Police presence had been felt for months at that point. However, on the night of the shooting, the police were called away to a burglary. Resi- dents felt that the police took too long to return. Whethertheshooting wasone-way or acrossfire is in dispute, as is whether residentssthrew rocks at police upon their arrival. The Ann Arbor Police Department has not yet released the response time for the shooting. 'At depends on a lot of things: what time of year it is, and the driving conditions," said Sgt. Phil Scheel. But the driving conditions are hardly harsh in July. However, police and emergency claim not to have known that anyone was hit - only that shots were fired - and that they were proceeding cautiously, a caution that would be understandable in their job. No matter what the circumstances of that tragic night, a gang problem must not b blown up disproportionately. Exaggeratin the nature of the problem can only caus unfounded fears - immobilizing fear, le ing to panic and rash actions. The precedent is already being set. Panic was prevalent in Ann Arbor during the serial rapist investigation, when the rush to find a solidsuspect resulted in a blanket DNA screen- ing of Black males. As a result, Blair Shelton has filed a civil suit, claiming that he was harassed by the AAPD throughout the serial rapist investigation. Shelton's complaints include police infor ing his employers that he was a suspect, causi him to lose his job and agreeing to DNA sestin~ under threats and misinformation. He says thaI police confrontedhiminnumerouspublicplaces to question him-each time they let him leave only after he produced proof that he had bee DNA tested for the case. The plaintiff allege that he was accosted by police while he was n carrying the paper with him. Police then did no, let him leave until he had provided a driver', license so that they could lien clear him o their car radio. The AAPD denies most of the charges However, the AAPD only admits to innocuout claims or facts that can easily be proven. If th court finds that the charges are true, measure. should be taken to prevent future occurrence. of harassment. Before a trend starts, local attitudes must b adjusted. Serious neighborhood problems wit crime cannot be swept under outside g involvement. Zero tolerance for crime mu. accompany zero harassment.