The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, April 12, 1989 - Page 5 North defends ~military record WASHINGTON (AP) - Oliver North defended his honor and his ef- forts on behalf of the Nicaraguan Contras yesterday against a fusillade of suggestions from the prosecutor that he violated the code he was taught at the Naval Academy. "At the U.S. Naval Academy you would have been kicked out for this?" Prosecutor John Keker asked at one point. "In the U.S. Naval Academy no- body taught me to run a covert operation," North retorted. Nor about "political warfare going on in Washington in 1983-1986." "Did you take courses... and learn what was meant by lawful and un- lawful?" asked Keker of the witness. Said North: "I don't believe I have ever received an unlawful or- der." On specific matters North: -Denied he tried to help his asso- ciate, Richard Secord, make a half million dollars by renting a ship to the CIA, which turned out not to be interested in the offer. -Said he was merely following orders when he drafted a letter to Congress denying involvement in helping the Contras at a time when official aid was barred. U.S. News editor discusses ethics in journ BY LAURA COHN Today's journalistic ethics leave something to be desired, said pan- elists in a forum last night. David Gergen, managing editor of U.S. News and World Report, and Lee Bollinger, the dean of the Michigan Law School, spoke to 100 people at Hutchins Hall. "Today's press decides for itself what it should publish and what it shouldn't," said Bollinger, who ob- served that the media is continually expanding its First Amendment rights. Bollinger said the relationship between press and law ethics is complicated. To amend the situation, Gergen said the press should identify the structure of their ethics. "We in the press ought to be more willing to discuss what's printed than we are. There's a kind of 'live and let live' attitude among journalists today. You will rarely see a paper criticizing a network," Ger- gen said. Gergen said our culture is much more open than it used to be, and there has been a resulting "explosion" of the press. He thinks this development parallels the ac- tions of the lawyers and lobbyists in Washington. alism "To print or not to print: that -is the dilemma," said Gergen. "There was a time when members of the press were run-of-the-mill, middle class people. Today some of us make more than the average lawyer." Gergen said the increase in status of journalism is because of the "hot competition" and the rise of inves- tigative journalism. "We are a much more open cul- ture now, and the press has more power. If the president is in the hos- pital, every iota of his condition is published. You wouldn't see that happening twenty years ago," said Gergen. He also supported the right to privacy of people in the public eye. Gergen said he feels that unless a discovery has a direct influence on the position, it should not be pub- lished. Gergen suggested that if a person has friends in the press, life could be much easier. If John Tower had contacts in the press, Gergen said, the controversy over him would never have received so much play. "Frankly, it's driving some good people out of politics. We have to realize that they're human. We in journalism know all this gossip. If we know, should we tell the read- ers?," he said. -JESSICA GREENE/Dolly David Gergen, managing editor of U.S. News and World Report, speaks to about one hundred people on "Press Ethics and the First Amendment" last night in Hutchins Hall. Lee Bollinger, left, dean of' Michigan Law School, also spoke. Japanese official denies bribery charge I Cornerstone CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP TOKYO (AP) - Prime Minister Noboru Takeshita yesterday ac- knowledged receiving about $1 mil- lion from a company at the center of a major bribery scandal, but he said the funds were only donations and not bribes. Takeshita's comments at a meet- ing of the Parliament budget com- mittee reversed statements made pre- viously before Parliament, when he denied ever receiving funds from Re- cruit Co., an information and pub- lishing conglomerate. Recent disclosures of Takeshita's financial links to Recruit and its subsidiaries prompted the prime minister to speak formally about his role in the stock profiteering and bribery scandal, which has involved about 160 politicians, businesspeo- ple, and bureaucrats. "I am feeling political and moral responsibilities very strongly," Takeshita said yesterday. "I think it is important to settle this matter legally and politically." He said that between 1985 and 1987 Recruit donated 130 million yen (about $1 million) to his politi- cal support groups in donations and purchases of fund-raising party tick- ets. Japanese law allows a company the size of Recruit to make political donations of $114,000 a year. Takeshita said the funds were handled strictly as political donations and denied opposition claims that they were bribes. "Political donations are indis- pensable elements for vital political activities, which are said to be the foundation on a democratic society," he said. "But the widespread Recruit scandal and my position as a prime minister no longer allow me to speak in such general terms." Opposition lawmaker Kanji Kawasaki of the Japan Socialist Party asked Takeshita what his un-' derstanding of Recruit's intentions was when he accepted the money. Takeshita replied: "I am not in a position of telling the intent of an- other party's political donations." He also denied any personal in- volvement in transactions of bar- gain-priced unlisted shares in Re- cruit's real estate subsidiary by his personal secretary and a relative. The transactions produced about $200,000 in profits when the share price soared after over-the-counter trading began. - ~ ~ ~ho ng Kong .and Memorial Day Special 17 days: $2,695 (save $600) Visit the country you fell in love with in "The Last Emperor" " SINGAPORE $1,125 " HONG KONG $950 " TAIPEI $925 - SHANGHAI $1,250 First American Tours (313) 258-9580 (Toll calls will be reimbursed) (an interdenominational campus fellowship) Studentsdedicatedi to Knlrowing and C m uictn Jesus Christ Weekly Meetings: Thursdays: 7:00 p.m. 439 Mason Hall John Neff-747-8831 CLASSIFIED ADS! Call 764-0557 LIBERAL ARTS GRADS Ambitious, hard working grads for entry level market- ing or media trainee positions with fast growing, highly successful direct marketing mail firm in Hackensack, New Jersey. Excellent opportunity for advancement. International Marketing Associates 382 Main Street Hackensack, NJ 02601 (701) 487- 7902 w 5 0 The Michigan Ensians Are Here! It's a sure thing... Just pick yours up at: The Michigan Ensian Office in The Student Publications Building 420 Maynard 9:00-5:00 - . DAYS 2LEFT Tickets received before Jan.1, 1989* are eligible. (*Some exceptions) Call the Ann Arbor Amnesty Program Hotline: 994-2567 or 994-2576 OFF Parking, Tickets Summer Cash!. Come Laugh With Us! L AUG RACK Stand Up Comedy Features A Comedy Jam With: Jill Washburn Tim Herrod and Jim McClean With Student Comedian Dayv Gould i r. AFTER MARY GOT ONE OFTHES, THE MAGAZINES AND NEWSPAPERS WOULDN'T LEAVE HER ALONE. As head of the Serials Department at Northwestern University [ibrary in Evanston. Illinois, Mary is responsible for the acquistion nd in- ventory controlofeveryjournaL magazine and newspaperthe library subscribes to. It's a huge, rewarding job. 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