European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - February 23, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Thursday february 23,1989 the stars and stripes Page 3 Rhode Island National guard member Patty Cornell of Cranston r.i., helps out with the feeding chores at the state general Hospital in Cranston after hos Pital employees failed to show up for work. The a filling in optional guard was called in when Union members of local 1350, american federation of state county and municipal employees walked at terms of a new contract. Ballon lawyer cites new Rule on help at sea Subic Bay naval facilities Philippines a the . Navy told commanders they have a sacred obligation to help mariners in distress after skipper refused to Rescue vietnamese refugees who later resorted to cannibalism the officer s lawyer said wednesday. Defense lawyer Dan donate cited the order during wednesday s session of the court martial of his client capt. Alexander Balian former skipper of the amphibious transport Dock Dubuque. Balian said regulations in Force when he encountered the refugee vessel were not As Clear As the new regulations. The 48-year-old Captain of los Angeles has been on trial since feb. 10 for allegedly failing to help More than 80 refugees he encountered in the South Chinakea while in route to the persian Gulf last june 9. Thirty one of the refugees died and survivors re sorted to cannibalism before they were rescued by filipino fishermen june 27 after 37 Days at sea  said. The defense contends that Navy regulations did no authorize captains to Rescue refugees if their vessels were seaworthy and they were not in life threatening situations. Balian said wednesday that under the new regulations issued july 23, a Captain would be stupid not to pick up refugees found at sea. Navy officials said the order was issued by Vic Admiral George w. Davis jr., commander of the naval surface Force Pacific in san Diego. It states in part in the time tested Creed of Mari ners no truth is More Universal More sacred than the obligation to assist one another in time of  is no operations order no exercise no commit ment no timetable that supersedes this  on tuesday Balian testified that he would have rescued the refugees if he had been correctly informed of their desperate plight. Panel told Pacific stripes has failed Mission by Chuck Vinch Washington Bureau Washington a top editor of the Pacific stars and stripes told a con Gressional panel wednesday that As news operation the paper is a wilful failure and that the military editor i chief should be replaced by a civilian. Dewey Brackett the editor in charge of local coverage at the newspaper s Headquarters in Tokyo said pressure from the Pacific come Over what stories should or should not appear in print has become so pervasive that the paper no longer can carry out its stated Mission to provide a free flow of news and information for troops overseas. The paper s Independence and integ Rity have been purposely cast aside and the defense department charter under which we Are supposed to operate is now As meaningless As the russian Constitution Brackett told the House armed services readiness subcommittee. The congressional panel held the hear ing to follow up on a recent general accounting office report that looked int allegations of censorship from present and former employees of the european and Pacific editions of the stars and stripes. Gao investigators with the help of members of the society of professional journalists studied More than 200 allegations of censorship and news manage ment at the two autonomous editions of the stars and stripes with All but 20 of them originating in the Pacific. The Gao s report found that the Evi Dence of censorship under air Force col. Edwin Montgomery in the Pacific was conclusive but that it was inconclusive for the european edition which has it Headquarters in Darmstadt West Ger Many and is headed by army col. Jef Frey Cook. Similarly the congressional hearing focused almost exclusively on the Pacific edition. Cook was the Only witness fro the european edition to testify. Pentagon officials along with Mont Gomery denied that censorship existed at the stars and stripes. Jordan Rizer director of the Ameri can forces information service which is responsible for setting operating guide lines for the newspapers defined censorship As the calculated with holding of news and said he has never known of that happening at the Sta Sand stripes. Montgomery defending his actions a editor in chief said every newspaper in the country every Day makes decision son whether to run certain stories and How to play  Montgomery said he relies on the judgment of his civilian editors although he admitted that the final decision As to what goes in the paper is clearly  he placed much of the blame for the newspaper s problems on a Small num Ber of people with axes to grind an scores to  but Brackett disagreed saying that the situation at the Pacific edition involves every person on the  Brackett along with former Tokyo editors Paul Sherbo and Tim hut Chens traced Many of the problems tothe heavy hand of officials at the Pacific come in Hawaii technically the newspaper s publisher. Montgomery said he has never had anyone above him Force the running or killing of a Story nor has anyone dictated How a Story should be edited or  but Brackett Sherbo and Hutchens offered a number of instances in which Pacific come officials suppressed or withheld news from stars and Stripe readers usually under the Guise of National Security or Host country sensitivities. Hutchens said he once deleted som press release information that was unnecessarily flattering to Gen. Joh Wickham former army chief of staff who was the commander of . Force sin Korea at the time. Wickham got the Pacific come to investigate the newspaper for dereliction of duty Hutchens said. Brackett said the reason the paper i censored is sadly simple it disturbs the generals and admirals and Asa result of that it disturbs their Public affairs  several members of the congressional panel wondered whether the stars and stripes had outgrown its usefulness and could be replaced by such publications As the International her Ald Tribune or Usa today. All wit Nesses agreed that those publications aside from being too expensive would not be Able to meet the specific needs of . Troops and their families Over seas. Some lawmakers also raised the Issue of consolidating the editorial operations of the newspapers in the United states and retaining local reporters in Europe and the Pacific to feed Thea ter news to the stateside Headquarters. Gao officials said such a move would save $2.5 million per year in appropriated fund support for the newspapers. William Hart Deputy assistant Secretary of defense for Public affairs said consolidating the papers would increase the Chance that the de sense department could be charged with news management. Witnesses were sharply divided Over the Issue of replacing the military Edi tors in chief with civilians As the Gao recommended. We would rather not have civilian editors in chief Over civilian managing editors that Are already doing a goo Job Rizer said. Hart said his office is taking other Steps to improve the newspapers operations including reviewing existing operating guidelines to make them less ambiguous. Rizer said his office also has created a position of ombudsman to Monitor complaints about the operation of the newspapers. But the Tokyo editors As Well As investigators from the Gao who pre pared the report told lawmakers that the situation would not improve As Long As a military officer in the top position of the paper must answer to other military officers at the theater command level. Some lawmakers questioned whether a civilian editor would be More immune to command pressures than a military officer. Brackett said to avoid that problem the position must be filled by a contract employee outside the government system who would be in place for a fixed term of three or four years. Sherbo said that whatever ultimately is decided it is hard to see How stripes approach to news censorship can be allowed to continue. How can a Soldier be old enough and Tough enough to carry a gun and be willing to fight but not old enough and Tough enough to take his news uncensored