4 - The Michigan Daily - Monday, June 6, 2005 cJbe II~iligU ttIU 420 MAYNARD STREET ANN ARBOR, MI 48109 STEPHANIE WRIGHT DONN M. FRESARD tothedaily@michigandaily.com Editor in Chief Editorial Page Editor EDITED AND MANAGED BY STUDENTS AT THE Unless otherwise noted, unsigned editorials reflect the opinion of UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN the majority of the Daily's editorial board. All other pieces do not SINCE 1890 necessarily reflect the opinion of The Michigan Daily. 4 A new hope Student neighborhood group, emergent from local blogging scene, is singularly promising Digging for truth Deep Throat provides timely lessons for media ver the past year or so in Ann Arbor, local blogs have emerged as the most - and perhaps the only - effective entity in coordinating and promoting student interests in local politics. While the local homeowner-run neighborhood associations have continu- ally pushed their anti-student agendas on the city - through the proposed porch couch ban, stiff resistance to the con- struction of North Quad and new restric- tions on side-street parking, to name a few examples - the campus political groups that should be working to orga- nize a student opposition have generally responded with apathy. In the absence of any campus-based organization with the strength and initia- tive to challenge the anti-student estab- lishment, bloggers and their readers have taken a strong interest in the workings of Ann Arbor's city government. This online community has filled an important gap where traditional campus groups have failed. Campus student groups essentially ignored the proposed porch couch ban last year; it was dropped only after readers of local blogs, which vigorously opposed the ban, pressured city council members via e- mail. Blogs won an important victory for students despite their limited resources, functioning without the concrete member- ship and infrastructure that characterize traditional campus organizations. Rather than using colorful handouts to broadcast their positions to indifferent students on the Diag, bloggers- engaged their read- ers in meaningful discussions, con- / vincing them and ' inspiring them to take action. As the couch ban demonstrated, blogging makes it easier than ever to bring together students who live across Ann Arbor but share the same goals. Students liv- ing near the sta- dium no longer OLD WESTSII need to tire their feet to be richly connected to those who live across the city; a borderless commu- nity has emerged that students can use to take action. Traditional methods like flyer- ing and chalking seem obsolete in com- parison. With the technology bloggers are using, as Tom Friedman would say, Ann Arbor is flat. For this reason, we believe the recently established New West Side Association - the city's only student-run neighbor- hood association, based on the borders of the Old West Side Association, and a child of the local blogging community - rep- resents a real opportunity for a revitalized local student activism. The group's forma- tion is an exciting step toward incorporat- ing new technology to organize students and promote their interests in the city. F or years, a development that could meaningfully increase stu- dent influence over city policy has seemed hopelessly out of reach. Ann Arbor's ward system effectively dissipates the student vote in city elections by split- ting up student-dominated neighborhoods among its five wards. But student-run neighborhood associations could develop voting blocs within each gerrymandered ward, forcing council members to listen to students' concerns. These geographi- cally based groups could help organizers to be effective in going door-to-door to register students within the neighborhood to vote. By focusing on city council races specific to each ward, these groups could maximize student influence. Still, student groups based around neigh- borhoods are not enough. Neighborhood associations have been successful for Ann Arbor homeowners in large part because of homeowners' concern with property values and the proximate nature of their interests. Student renters, on the other hand, rarely stay in the same neighbor- hoods for more than a couple of years and tend to have interests that span the entire city; most are more concerned with leg- islation that affects students citywide than whether their neigh- bors' lawns are pre- sentable. Groups like the New West Side, for this reason, should also focus on developing an over- arching organization to promote student interests; their expe- N, ;. A , rience with online organizing will help them unite students with similar interests citywide. The New West Side stands out as DE group with a unique potential to reverse the recent trend of local apathy among students. A concrete group will be impor- tant in reaching out to the many students who do not read blogs, but its savvy use of technology will grant it a swiftness and interactivity that other organizations lack. Hopefully similar groups will form in other wards, and an overarching orga- nization will soon emerge to consolidate student interests. In the question of which came first, the organization or the website, the New West Side Association defies tra- dition, but it may be this aberration that brings it success. F or over 30 years, the identity of Deep Throat was one of the greatest unsolved mysteries in American jour- nalism and politics. During the two years between the 1972 break-in at the Water- gate Hotel and the resignation of President Richard Nixon, Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein of The Washington Post stood out for their well-informed coverage of the investigation. With the help of a highly- placed source feeding them information about the progress of the federal investi- gation, the reporters played a key role in keeping the scandal in the public eye and preventing Nixon from halting the inves- tigation. This source, nicknamed "Deep Throat" by the media, was finally revealed last week to be W. Mark Felt, former asso- ciate director of the FBI. Three decades ago, Felt's role in the Post's reporting was critical in revealing the corruption in the Nixon administration that could have oth- erwise remained hidden. And today, at age 91, Felt's unveiling as Deep Throat provides us with an important and timely reminder of the importance of investiga- tive journalism. Watergate is undoubtedly one of the most significant events in American politics, but it was also a turning point in the history of American journalism. After Watergate, politicians were subject to an unprecedent- ed level of public scrutiny as investigative reporting of political figures became more aggressive. Furthermore, the impact of the Post's reporting inspired a new generation of journalists, all eager to uncover another story that would change history. The film "All the President's Men," based on the memoir by Woodward and Bernstein, only furthered the romanticism, making jour- nalism as glamorous as Robert Redford in the eyes of a generation of Americans. The revelation of Deep Throat's iden- tity could not come at a more opportune time. With recent media scandals causing many to question the use of anonymous sources, Deep Throat should serve as a reminder of their crucial role in investiga- tive journalism. When utilized properly, as in the case of Woodward and Bernstein, an anonymous source can be a powerful tool in uncovering hidden truths. In the face of pressure to curtail the use of unnamed sources, journalists should recall the lesson of Deep Throat: that unless government is completely transparent, anonymous sourc- ing is often vital to finding the truth. Critics of anonymous sourcing often contend that such sources may have per- sonal agendas, leaking information with underhanded purposes like revenge or per- sonal gain. Felt, who had a grudge against the Nixon administration for not appoint- ing him as J. Edgar Hoover's successor, probably did not have pure motives in leaking information to Woodward. But his role was no less significant, as Woodward used the information to reveal to the pub- lic a truth that may have been suppressed otherwise. As Deep Throat demonstrated, anony- mous sources with questionable motives can be used by responsible and vigilant reporters to the benefit of the public and the truth. Despite public perceptions of the media as inaccurate and frequent attacks from people who would like to see seri- ous journalism discredited, the American press must not forget its role as a check on government; journalists must contin- ue holding officials accountable for their actions. Mark Felt changed the American press and politics forever, and his role in Woodward and Bernstein's courageous reporting should continue to stand as an inspiring example of journalism's funda- mental purpose. The thumbs have it Antonio Villaraigosa The Detroit Zoo Kwame Kilpatrick ; Villar + Raigosa= Villaraigosa. By merging his last name with his wife's, the newly elected mayor of Los Angeles found a compromise that's twice as unpronounceable but 12 times more progressive than hyphenating. The zookeepers, largely Michigan State alumni, named the zoo's new wolverine cubs Sparty and Bucky. Just wait until they see what the University's classical stud- ies department has in store. Threatening to end Detroit's 46-year-old fireworks celebration if the city council overrides your budget veto is no way to start off a reelection campaign. You're a mean one, Mr. Grinch. 4 4