European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - May 28, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Wednesday. May 26, 1986 the stars and stripes Page 9 French Premier s to Bias stirs by Jeffrey ulbr1ch T. Up a is an a of French politics. No Mailer whether the right or the left is in Power that when things go wrong it is because the message is not being explained properly to the people. And la culprit is always television. Thus it was no Surprise when new conservative Premier Jacques Chirac fired a firs Salvo at France s three state owned television networks accusing them or distortion and being excessive in their political commentaries. Print journalism in France is very political and highly partisan. People choose their Camp and read the newspaper thai reflects their Point of View but television is beamed directly to everybody and de spite being stale operated generally is even handed in its treatment of Trie news even handedness. However depends on your Point a would t want the government to be forced regularly to use the procedure of a government Declara Tran to Correct thai which is excessive and distorting Day after Day on the television  Chirac said during a political meeting. That would be an absurd Little  added Chirac s minister of culture and communication Francois Leotard you can t hide behind Public service to do partisan  those verbal matches lit the fuses of journalistic bombs All weekend including an unprecedented joint retort from the Heads of the three networks. Following the declaration of or. Jacques Chirac the Premier the presidents of tf1, Arlenne 2 and fr3 recall that Only the High authority for communication is charged with watching Over the balance of the news the statement said. The High authority is an Independent body set up by the socialist government that was ousted from control of the National Assembly in the March 16 elections. One of the pledges contained in the conservatives election platform was a new Law governing Broad casting most of which is state owned. Among the government s plans is a new audiovisual authority with expanded Powers and privatization of Al least some television. That Bill will probably go to Par in men this summer. French Premier Jacques Chirac a Tholo Leotard already has announced thai Tai will be auctioned off to the private sector and Anle Nej will remain in stale hands As the network of  the slams of fr3, essentially a regional operation is being studied but apparently it will not be touched for the time being. Thu decision to sell off Tai has Ted to heated Dis Cussion among politicians network employees and the Public both for and against the idea of television As a Public  Bui a bigger controversy has developed Over Chirac s apparent attack on television s journalistic integrity. Both the main networks Tai and an Lynne 2, played the Story big on their newscasts. Pierre Lac Leguillon chief of Tai s political serv ice said in a commentary that such disputes Are in the nature of relations Between the political Power and the Media   he ended the commentary by saying it should be understood that each docs his Job and does t inter Fere in that a is neighbor the politicians govern and the journalists inform and democracy will be Well  an Lenny 2 took a similar line. The government seems to think that a policy is not particularly Well perceived by the citizens be cause journalists and particularly those in Broad casting Are not doing their Job right said Pierre Henry Arnstam news director at Antenne 2. We Are not above making mistakes but if we have made them they should ill us clearly which  -. -. -. Journalists unions also were enraged. Must we remind Jacques Chirac that history has abundantly shown that calling the news to task does not make political and economic difficulties faced by the dominant parly disappear said the National Union of journalists unions. Michele Colla president of the High authority said she was surprised by Chirac s comment because the High authority had not received any formal complaint by the government or the majority conservatives personally i have not noted anything you could Call a slanting of the news she said. In the past change of government frequently have meant widespread personnel changes in stale run television and radio. This was not the Case when the conservatives came to Power and Chirac affirmed hat he planned no Witch Hunts into broadcasting. The Premier made no mention of what he consid ered excesses or distortions in the news. But his re Marks came As his government with a slim three seat majority in the National Assembly is facing some hard limes Over a number of issues. Among them Are a change in the method of voting from the proportional system instituted by the socialists to a majority system a Bill to abolish govern ment approval for layoffs a new Law governing the status for new Caledonia and economic matters. Ail could bring Chirac into conflict with socialist president Francois Mitterrand who has indicated he May not sign some of the necessary decrees. Bon tier fears greater isolation in soviet exile Paris a Yelina Banner said her main fears about return to internal exile in the town of Porky in the soviet Union Are that her isolation will be in creased and that the Soviel authorities will continue what she called their Campaign of systematic disinformation about her and her husband Soviel dissident Andrei Sakharov Don t believe anything that comes from the authorities Aboul us she said. Letters Lel Grams films everything is  she said her children would try to Call her once a month from the United slates and Umhey do not get through that Means something is happening to she was speaking to journalists Mon Day after a meeting with three French ministers during a three Day visit to Paris As part of a european tour in route Back id the soviet Union from the United Stales. Two of them culture and communications minister Francois Leotard and minister for foreign Trade Michel noir met her in March 1984 in Moscow the last foreign personalities to meet her be fore she was forbidden to live in Moscow. She said the 1984 meeting was severely criticized Al the time by the Kab the soviet secret police. The other minister Al the monday morning meeting was minister for human rights Claude Mal Huret. Conner said that the knowledge she and her husband were constantly filmed by soviet authorities made her feel like a microbe on a Glass slide put under a Microscope for a medical examination and it s a terrible feeling Leotard quoted Banner As saying thai secret diplomacy on human rights was useless unless accompanied by Public statement and demonstrations. French diplomatic policy has been to use behind the scenes methods said to. Produce the Best results she also asked France to demand con Stant application of the Helsinki human rights Accord when dealing with the so Viets and to remind them ceaselessly of their violations of human rights. Leotard added that Constont pressure must be applied to the . In this sense not Only diplomatic but also popu Lar pressure later Bonner was Given the diploma of associate member of the French facade my of sciences awarded to her husband in february 1981, which never could be delivered. Bonner is to meet Premier Jacques Chirac and other leading French personalities before leaving wednesday for Oslo London and Rome to meet the prime ministers of Norway Britain and Italy. Iriton took firm Steps to raise funds against Ieuka maj Lulu i ii Imlej tilt or finran a stricken with leukaemia bentanetis1bi"mwn a 3,000 Nile trek to the world cup in a Campai funds far victims of the deadly disease. David Ward 35, set out from his Hometown of Liverpool just Over a year ago. Numerous blisters and aches later he completed the trek by walking to Aztec stadium where tha world cup soccer championship kicks off next saturday. During the trip. Ward said he collected 163,000 toward his goal of 1225,000 to be used for belter a ment facilities for leukaemia victims a Ward said he hoped to read Hajj Pitt rom sales of a Book he plans to . News 11 ii  Mexico City also prompted Al surge of donations in England he said. I Herd Money was pouring in after to films of Bis finish were shown on the bbl evening news be said. Ward worked As a training coordinator for an Ujick " sent program in Liverpool before decide jul e to raising funds for i Mia victims. He got the  trek to the world cup  Girt Hospital Tomii ital condition disease m 1983. Liverpool is a big soccer City and it vat log go to help the leukaemia victims in the economically depressed Region he said. The Money goes to the Merseyside Bone marrow transplant Trust. Ward started inc grueling walk May i i98s, when he travelled from Liverpool s docklands to Manchester where he happen a Light to new York Ward started out walking from new York with a Friend who droppedaj0nt75u go the hike. The up re lonely As he walked across Prairie and the deserts of Mexico Al _ i he received lots of help from local authorities in both countries. Ward said he rarely had to pay for accommodations but he spent some nights sleeping in churches one night at a fire department and once As a voluntary guest in a . County jail. He carried dozens of press clippings from newspapers that wrote about him along the route bul his Al in Mexico City proved Anticlimactic. He my rage of the British press the turnout at at acc Stag Twita . "1 gel this fantastic hospitality until Renoir Vii Haj it All fell apart he said complaining of Lack Onaca Ward will now head Back to the further contacts with sponsors and he expects to be Back in England by Sale summer