METHODS OF DISSEMINATING NAVY NEWS

LEARNING OBJECTIVE: Determine the methods of disseminating Navy news.

Navy news material, properly authorized for release, can be channeled to the media in several ways. The nine commonly used methods are as follows:

* Standard Navy news release

l News advisory

l Spot news announcements

l News conferences

l Interviews

l Background briefings

l Feature releases

l Advance releases

l Personal appearances

STANDARD NAVY NEWS RELEASE

A Navy news release is an official Navy statement prepared in news story form. The enlisted journalist normally prepares and edits it, then the PAO, through the authority of the officer in command, approves the release. As a Navy journalist, you will work with the Navy news release more than with any other method of news dissemination. A well-prepared and edited standard Navy news release - placed in the hands of all interested media at the same time, supplying all with identical information - remains the most satisfactory method of releasing news.

Most public affairs offices, particularly at larger commands, use a printed heading for their news releases. These are attractive and help members of the media identify the source of the release more quickly. However, they are by no means necessary. If a printed heading is used, keep it simple, informal, suitable and in good taste to cover all types of releases. The news value of the material, and not the packaging, is the most important consideration. A sample release format is shown in figures 7-2 and 7-3.

Certain information, however, should always be included in the heading of a release. Make sure your release format includes the following items:

l Name, address and ZIP code of the originating command

l Office telephone numbers (including facsimile number)

l Point(s) of contact for further information

l Type of release

l Release number

l Short headline to identify the content of the release

l Date of release

News releases should be double-spaced, typed on only one side of a sheet of paper and legibly reproduced. Official directives regarding economy in duplication on both sides of the paper do not apply to news releases.

Timing of Navy News Releases

The timing of news releases is almost as important as their content. An improperly timed handout maybe lost in the media editor's in-box simply because it is poorly timed.

Most Navy stories are distributed For Immediate Release. This authorizes the media to use the story as soon as it is received.

Occasionally, however, it is necessary to distribute a story on a Hold For Release basis. This tag, along with the authorized date of release, is attached to important feature stories. It is usually typed in the spot where For Immediate Release appears in the figure 7-2.

Assume that the CNO accepts a speaking engagement in your city. If an advance copy of the speech is available, it may be released to news media on a Hold For Release basis. This would give news media several advantages. First, reporters covering the event would not have to take notes of the speech. They would merely check their future release to make sure the CNO followed the text. Second, television or radio people may not want to record the entire speech. With an advance copy of it in their possession, they could tape only key portions. Third, if the speech is important enough, newspaper editors may decide to publish it verbatim. The advance copy would permit them to set the speech in type beforehand so the speech could be printed immediately after it was delivered.

Figure 7-2. - Sample Navy news release format (page 1 of 2).

Figure 7-3. - Sample Navy news release format (page 2 of 2).

In general, however, news media prefer to use news as soon as it is received. Reporters take pride in bringing facts to light, not in withholding them. Never give them a story marked Hold For Release unless you have a good reason.

News Release Numbering System

For quick reference and orderly filing, a release number is assigned to all outgoing stories. There are various systems of assigning release numbers. Most commands follow the practice of beginning a new series at the beginning of each year. The first release sent out in 1994, for example, would have a release number of 1-94. The second release would be 2-94, and so forth. All releases are numbered consecutively in this manner until the end of the year. Remember that release numbers are assigned to each story, not to each copy of a story. If one release is sent to 17 different media, all 17 copies should bear the same release number.