European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - January 28, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                I stuck in to jumbo a a a a a the War As a kind of Mem movies by Deborah Hastings associated press a is hell and television is reporting it from Purgatory. With few ways around military controls and no immediate Hope of being in the Catbird seat of this Aerial War against Iraq to journalists Are stuck firmly in limbo. Warning sirens go off in Iraq saudi Arabia and Israel and reporters go live sometimes with Little to say except Here we Are Here Are our Gas masks and Here we assume come the missiles. A a government restrictions on War reporting never have  strict. Television satellite transmissions never have been this Quick. And from those who covered Vietnam the first television War the reviews Are mixed. Quot you had a freewheeling adventurous individualistic theater for covering the Story in Vietnam a said former Abc correspondent Liz Trotta. A there you really have the War As a kind of Mem movie totally absent of blood and anything that smacks of . Trotta said she has misgivings about certain footage coming out of the Middle East specifically some broadcasts by can and its much heralded Anchor Bernard Shaw. Quot i have to say i got so tired of hearing Berni Eshaw Tell How Many times he had been under a table Quot Trotta said of can s live reporting while Baghdad was under initial missile attacks from  coalition forces. Shaw joined by correspondents John Holliman and Peter Arnett Hung a microphone out their Baghdad hotel window hid under furniture and crawled darkened hallways searching for better views of the iraqi capital. Under  there was Peter in exactly the same situation maintaining just the proper distance. He was t telling you How in danger he was Quot Trotta said. David Halberstam whose reporting for the new York. A a. A a a photo covering the War is a difficult Challenge to journalists who must Cope with strict censorship i c l a amp a $ u m Ai t and controls. Above members of the press Don r. Gas masks and sit with hotel staff and saudi officials after air raids went off in Eastern saudi Arabia. Right a kuwaiti air Force officer escorts Joe Mahoney an american photographer off a flight line at an air base in saudi Arabia. Times from Saigon in 1962 and 1963 won a pulitzer. Prize said television journalists in the Middle East face a two obstacles censorship by military restrictions and a network Hierarchy that promotes celebrities instead of seasoned reporters. A Quot i think it s embarrassing that the three broadcast networks done to have Peter Arnett Quot Halberstam said. Quot he a lost some of his hair. He in t your current Mellow kind of Guy that you see now As a reporter a Quot i Don t think there a the depth at Abc that you used. To see. Lbs has brought Back All their warhorse Connie Chung was just talking and was ill informed i must say about iraqi . The current restrictions that subject War reporters news stories to military Quot Security reviews Quot Are borne of a longstanding Pentagon belief that the Media caused America to lose the Vietnam War Halberstam said. Quot we never violated Security Quot he said. Quot what the military in Washington did no to like was our essential . A Lawrence Grossman the former head of Abc news and now a fellow at the Gannett Center foundation Media Center just returned from Europe where he followed the War by watching can. The 24-hour Cable network Quot has done an outstanding Job a Grossman said. Still he said he was bothered by some on air speculation he witnessed specifically when iraqi. Missiles struck Israel and obviously nervous correspondents donned Gas masks and began reporting the possibility of chemical warfare. Quot i just thought there was a Little too much speculation on what was happening when no one knew what was happening Quot Grossman said a a. A a. J. Langguth Saigon Bureau chief for the new York times from 1964 to 1965 and now a journalism professor at the University of Southern California said it is impossible to compare Vietnam to. Iraq or to criticize the to reporters covering it. A Quot it s so different because there was no censorship then Quot Langguth said. Nor were there the benefits of instant satellite transmissions. When it came to getting footage from Vietnam he said Quot it was a wonderful Day when you could get stuff out 18 hours later Quot about the Quality of today a coverage Langguth said Quot i really would t want to second guess anyone. One can say whatever one wants about Bernie Shaw but when before have we had someone in a capital under seige this is totally unlike anything  besides he added Quot the first time you hear incoming it s a very frightening  Neil Sheehan who covered Vietnam for United press International and the new York times and later won a pulitzer prize for his Book a Bright shining lie an expose on the War agreed with Langguth. Quot i think All the networks Are doing the Best Job they can Quot said Sheehan to whom Daniel Ellsberg turned Over the Pentagon papers in 1971, Quot they re struggling under severe censorship. You can Only do what you re allowed to do. Quot. Quot you can to measure their professionalism until they re Given something to cover Quot he said. Quot the administration does t want the american Public to see blood and Thunder they want them to see a very sanitized  monday january 28, 1991 the stars and stripes a a a \ Page 13