European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - October 28, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page2 the stars and stripes Friday october 28,1988 stars & stripes May be reorganized Pentagon reviewing Gao study from staff and wire reports Washington the defense department pre paring for a government report on cd arcs of censorship Al the stars and stripes newspapers is de bating a significant shift in Structure thai would put civilian journalists at the lop of the mastheads instead of military officers. Fun Leon officials Lold the associated press no final decision has been made to change the existing organizational systems of the two newspapers. But the officials said there appears to be fairly uniform agreement thai something has to be  we Don t want to fold these papers there s nothing out there to replace Thorn one official who spoke Only on condition of anonymity told the a. So you be got to consider ways to strengthen editorial control and Dampen charges of  the sources said wednesday they expected a Deci Sion on the future of the newspaper to be made soon perhaps within the next week because Hie Penta gon is facing a deadline for responding to a draft study of the newspapers by the general accounting office. The defense department has until saturday to re Spond to he Gao report. The stars and stripes Learned. Jordan Rizer chief of the american forces information service and air Force col. Geoff Baker chief of print Media policy for afis both said they could not comment on he Gay report or rumours that Dod considering replacing the military editors with civilian journalists. We re nol at Liberty to discuss the report its find Ings or its potential Impact because the report has not been released yet Baker told the stars and stripes. The report by Congress watchdog Agency is still in draft form but officials who have read it described it to the Apas critical of the newspapers operation. It finds overwhelming evidence of military censorship at one of the two papers the Pacific edition of the stars and stripes one source Lold the a. The Best Way to respond to the Gao would be to Tell them we re already changing things around an other source told the wire service. The Gao investigation was launched Early this year at the Behest of sen. William Proxmire d-wis., who persuaded Congress to demand an inquiry into allegations of censorship by military commanders of the department of defense newspaper. Stars and stripes in demanding the investigation Proxmire blasted the Pentagon for sending soldiers overseas to protect Freedom while denying Ihm one of the most important freedoms that we have in this country that is the right to a free press under the first  Ron Tammon a Pra Mirc aide told the stars and stripes thursday that the senator would very much like to have hearings before the end of the  but he said the Liming of the hearings depends upon when the Gao report is released since the report would be the focal Point of the  so you be got to consider ways to strengthen editor Ial control and Dampen charges of  Dod official Proxmire is not running for re election to the Senate and will retire in january. Army col. Jeffrey m. Cook editor in chief of the european paper would nol comment about the Eon tents of the report because it has not been released but he offered thoughts on the idea of replacing military commanders with civilians. Arguments can be made on both sides but there Are sound reasons Tor having military officers in charge " he said thursday. The stars and stripes is part of the military Structure and it has a go to War Mission. A military commander is certainly desirable because this is an organization that has to be prepared for a wartime  he said there Are ample civilian journalists to pro vide input to Pic commander on journalistic policy. About 65 civilian journalists Are on the european coi Tion Stair. Cook also said he believes it is Vita for the military commander to have As much training in journalism As possible although i Don t think you re Ever going to find a military commander with As much expertise As a civilian managing  although often incorrectly referred to As one news paper there Are two stars and stripes newspapers on published in West Germany and the other in Japan. Designed to serve As the Hometown paper for us. Military personnel overseas the newspapers Dale to publication in France during world War l european stars and stripes has been published continuously since 1942. The Pacific paper has been published since 1945. Both papers Are led by officers who hold the litle of commander and editor in chief an who answer to the Heads of the european and Pacific commands. However a Pentagon directive Stales that the stars and stripes shall cover the news of the command Good or bad on a balanced objective and impartial  the Pentagon describes the papers As authorized unofficial  both operate under a charter to provide a free flow of news and information. Without censorship or news  according to the a s sources the Gao reviewed cases of alleged censorship then asked an advisor panel from inc society of professional journalists to help characterize the handling of each Story As either typical news judgment or censorship. A member of the panel told the stars and Stripe thursday that members were bound not to speak about the preliminary report. The panel did t characterize All of the Gao cases As censorship and quite frankly that lends credibility to the report one source told the a. But there i overwhelming evidence of censorship  the five members of the advisory panel met with the Gao to give their definitions of censorship and news management and to Brief the Gao on typical newsroom procedures and policies the Star and stripes Learned. The Gao later supplied the panel with a Binder of 55 instances of alleged censorship 12 from european the rest from the Pacific and asked each Mem Ber of the panel to characterize the stories As censorship or news management. The list of 55 was distilled from More than 200 cases that the Gao had received.  to bar tue Xii Tor Chuc Emch in we Winjum German opposition urges Ramsden report s re ease by Deedee arr1ncton  Bureau opposition German officials called this week for Complete disclosure of an International commission s report on the Ramstein air show disaster in the Wake of the commission s decision to release Only its conclusions. On monday the ., German and italian commission announced that Pilot error caused the aug. 23 air show disaster Thill occurred when three italian air Force jets collided and one crashed near a crowd. The Accident killed 69 people and injured hundreds. In its investigation the panel also determined that the air show s organizers had fully met and in some cases exceeded nato safely standards. The panel had considered releasing its 11 arrested in Rome cocaine seized in raid Rome a police seized 121 pounds of cocaine and arrested 11 peo ple wednesday in one of Europe s largest anti drug operations italian authorities reported. The operation was carried out income with the help of police from Spain and the City of Florence the officials said. A spokesman for the Interior ministry which was coordinating the opera lion said the raid was pan of a continuing investigation. The ministry would not give furl her details. Entire report but did not citing nato practices. Rose go the a member of the opposition social democrats who rep resents the Kaiserslautern Kusch District in the German parliament said thursday that she believed the report should be made available to eve Rybo  a spokesman for the greens Politi Cal parly Andreas Markus said people have a right to absolute com plete clarification and a right to be informed about  markup who is also a member of the Kaiserslautern City Council criticized the report s findings for trying to push the responsibility into the smallest area. Instead of this responsibility should be placed on those who authorized the  go the dismissed the commission s determination of human error As the disaster s cause by saying human error will always occur. To Lake a risk in which so Many people can be killed or injured through human error cannot be Justi fied officials with the German slate of Rheinland Pfalz did nol respond to questions from the stars and St pcs on the report. Kaiserslautern mayor Tho Vonda no a Christian Democrat who had not seen the report said he hoped air shows would be restricted to Static displays of new planes and equip sergeant Given 6 months for distributing hashish Ramstein a West Germany is an air Force no convicted on two drug related counts has been sentenced to six months in jail and a bad conduct discharge. Tech. Sgt. James e. Pritchett of the 316th trans so was found guilty in a general court mania of distributing hashish and possessing the drug with in tent to distribute a ram Sicin spokeswoman said. In addition to the other punishments levied against Pritchett a military judge demoted him to the lowest enlisted Grade and ordered him to forfeit $400 a month for six months. Pritchett will serve his jail sentence at the  Army confinement facility in Mannheim. In a statement released to Trie Media Ramstein prosecutors said More drug re lated trials have been scheduled in what they called an All out crackdown on the drug  ment. Rondano said he did nol believe shows involving Aerial demonstrations could be made More Safe. Gift to said an investigation into the Accident by a parliamentary commis Sion should prove to be much More precise and far reaching on the Over All responsibility for the disaster. The commission began bearings this week on the Accident and subsequent events at the German air Force base at of Levenich near Cologne that involved a party held hours after the air show tragedy. The hearings Are expected to continue into next year. A spokesman for the panel Taid it Bas not been decided whether  Authorities would testify. Contato Sunj � it it Myrtt Vong in Kan Xou in thief gets 240 cd from Ramstein Library Ramstein a West Germany is nearly 240 compact discs were stolen from the base Library monday night after closing a Ramstein spokeswoman said thursday. Staff set. Linda Brandon said the music Loving in under apparently entered the building through b window. The discs included easy listening jazz and pop selections. Brandon said the theft did not represent the Library s entire collection. The break in is being investigated by Security police