European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - August 28, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Jarred by enquirer Don t care says supervisor Perel by Stephanie Shapiro the Baltimore Suno � until Michael Jackson was suspected of paedophilia until thugs clubbed Tonya Harding s rival until . Simpson was charged with murder and for that mat Ter until Lisa Marie Presley married he aforementioned Jackson it was easy to dismiss the National enquirer As the pit Bull of journalism a Sleazy tabloid that Sank its Teeth into Only the most tawdry of stories and never let go. Now that the celebrity news has escalated from the pedestrian to the truly weird and shocking the National enquirer has become the paper to beat and to beat up on. Not Only is the most famous of tabloids scooping the neophytes it is also doing it with horrors upon horrors Check Book journalism. One of the tabloid hands writing those checks be Longs to David Perel 35, supervisor of 20 full time reporters on the Simpson Case for the National enquirer. Lately Perel has enjoyed widespread notoriety As the Man who admits with aplomb that he is willing to pay handsomely for eyewitness accounts of events surrounding the Nicole Simpson Ronald Goldman murders. He even has the chutzpah to say such a practice is nothing to be ashamed of. It s not hard to go on television and defend the fact that you got a great Story before everybody else did and it s 100 percent accurate. It s that simple Perel says. In july when the enquirer became the first news organization to report where the alleged murder weapon was purchased enquirer reporters were aware of the knife in question even before Ross Cut Lery store co owners sold their exclusive Story to the tabloid for $12,500 Media observers went ballistic. In Early july during Simpson s preliminary hear ing Perel appeared on nightlife to defend his news paper against such foes As Washington Post Media critic Howard Kurtz who said this growing trend of Cash for trash is really corroding the fabric of american journalism. But worse than that it s also tainting key witnesses in criminal  disparaging references to Check Book journalism Are beside the Point says Perel by phone from the enquirer s Lantana fla., Headquarters. The people who were bringing up the Issue of Check Book journalism Are the same people beaten on the  the important question is Are you reporting your information accurately Perel says. It was t the enquirer who reported the bloody ski mask it was the newspapers and to stations in l.a.," Perel says referring to a false shred of Early evidence that got plenty of play in the Simpson Case. And he adds it was t the enquirer that erroneously reported that prosecutor Marcia Clark improperly inspected Simpson s premises it was a los Angele television station. Perel also denies that buying witnesses can skew the Justice process by rendering their testimony unreliable. He refers to Clark who denied that the Tes Timony of the grand jury witnesses from the cutlery store was tainted because they sold their account to the enquirer. She was absolutely right Perel says. What it is All of a sudden the rest of the press is on our territory. It s what we do cover celebrity Sto Ries. We have a lot of resources and we cover it Well says Perel chalking up the onslaught of criticism to competitors frustrations. Perel also had no qualms about running a risque photo of Nicole Simpson and two close male friends on a july front Page. It s a shocking picture he says but part of a pertinent Story about the late Simpson s lifestyle and about the jealousy that existed when she dated other  was it beyond the Bounds of decency to run a pro Vocative photo of a Beautiful but dead woman truthfully i Don t care Perel says. I Don t think anybody else Here cares. We Only care about what our readers think. That s one of the things that sets us  it takes a dogged persistence and a Knack for asking Good questions to work a thorny Story such As the Simpson one and Perel has what it takes says enquirer top editor John Cathcart. He s got the stalls and the expertise to  a team of top notch reporters Over any big enquirer Story. He s done a Heck of a Job on the . Simpson Story. He s certainly demonstrated that we re the paper to pick if you really want of know what s going on.". Percy who majored in English at the University of Maryland worked at Florida today the Gannett prototype for Usa today before joining the enquirer nine years ago. Only three people have been Able to make Perel Blush on account of his place of employment an they Aren t Kurtz Ted Koppel or Dan rather. They Are his three Young children daughters Alexis and Blair and son Logan. When they grab the weekly tabloid at the supermarket turn to soap opera con i i " Holch la in father edits and proudly say pm by s picture " that he says Sembar Page 22 sunday August 28. 1994