AUTHORITY FOR RELEASING NAVY NEWS

LEARNING OBJECTIVE: Identify the proper authority for the release of Navy news.

When information previously limited to a controlled number of persons is made available to the general public, it is said to be "released." If this is done in formal written form, the document itself is termed a release, or a news release. Officers in command of all ships and stations, as well as senior commands, are authorized to release certain types of news without requesting advance approval from higher authority.

News of purely local interest is the first of this type. However, there are certain cautions. All officers in command are responsible for keeping CHINFO and other concerned seniors informed of all events and actions when any possibility exists that the national news media may become interested. There are also special procedures for handling news releases relating to members of Congress and civic officials.

Spot news, including announcements or answers to queries of an emergency nature, where delay in issuing information would be harmful to the best interests of the Navy, is releasable without advanced approval of higher authority.

Categories of news releases for which local release is not authorized, without prior approval of higher authority, are covered in detail in PA Regs. A partial list of these categories is included in figure 7-1.

In some cases the PAO is authorized by the officer in command to release certain news items, such as "hometowners" and news of a purely routine nature.

Release of information by any command is carried out by, or with, the assistance of the command PAO. Offices or divisions within a command cannot release information to the public without consulting the PAO.

For a complete study on the proper release of information through channels from the heads of

Figure 7-1. - Subjects not releasable locally (unless approved byhigher authority).

government down to individual units, refer to the most current version of PA Regs. It describes the procedures for releasing news at all levels of interest - local, regional, national and international.