
                         THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
                 Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, June 23, 1994                    TAG: 9406220010 
SECTION: FRONT                     PAGE: A12    EDITION: FINAL  
SOURCE: Medium 
DATELINE: 940623                                 LENGTH:

DON'T KNOCK EXXON JURY

{LEAD} Your editorial in favor of Exxon and big business (``The Exxon verdict,'' June 16) was an unfair indictment of citizens chosen randomly for jury service in a far-away corner of our nation that left this reader wondering how much Exxon stock and which Exxon franchises are owned by the new powers that be on your editorial staff.

Please tell us how many days someone from The Virginian-Pilot and The Ledger-Star was present in the courtroom to observe the Exxon Valdez trial? My bet is: none. The jurors, on the other hand, were present for the entire trial and probably tried their very best to decide the case fairly based upon the facts presented by the parties and the law instructed by the court, as most jurors strive to do when chosen randomly to fulfill this civic duty.

{REST} You certainly do not cite any evidence to the contrary, and you do the Alaska jury tremendous disservice by speculating otherwise. Indeed, it is ironic that it is your editorial indicting them and their verdict, half a continent way, that is unsupported by any evidence.

Your editorial also conveniently failed to mention that some five years later, marine life is virtually non-existent in Prince William Sound. A once-prosperous commercial fishing fleet there now lies at seemingly permanent anchor, and the lives of an entire community of people have been sent reeling, financially and otherwise. How dare you claim to be more knowledgeable about the value of these things than the peers of ``corporate citizen'' Exxon in Alaska, each of whom took an oath to well and truly decide the case.

Your low blows at the American judicial system were also unwarranted. Exxon hired a bevy of silk-stockinged defense attorneys, and both sides got to present their case. Possibly your editor will feel differently about our judicial system if it is ever his or her spouse, parent or child who has the misfortune of being an innocent victim of corporate recklessness and disregard.

I certainly hope you will feel differently if it is our Chesapeake Bay the next time. One good thing about our judicial system is that, hopefully, the Exxons and Texacos of the world will try a little harder to see that there is no next time now that the jury has spoken.

JOHN E. BASILONE

Virginia Beach, June 18, 1994 by CNB