CHAPTER 7 GATHERING AND DISSEMINATING NAVY NEWS

To gather and disseminate news, you must first know what news is and how and whereto find it.

News is new information about anything. It is material previously unknown (or at least unpublished) that the public, in whole or in part, needs or wants to know. News also can be thought of as information that someone or some group, such as the Navy, wants the public to know.

A fundamental definition of news - a key part of newswriting - is basic to a journalist's understanding of the craft. Some think of news as a combination of the compass points: north, east, west and south. Although this is not strictly the beginning of the term, the idea does emphasize the broad dimension the field covers. News is everywhere.

The primary commodity of the mass media is news. This commodity is mass-produced by world events and is retailed in printed, pictured and spoken form to millions of customers. As a Navy journalist you are a middleman for this commodity. However, you handle only the portion known as Navy news.

In Chapter 2, you learned what news is and the ways in which it is presented to the public. In this chapter, you will learn the types of news sources and the methods used to obtain and distribute news.

TYPES OF NEWS SOURCES

LEARNING OBJECTIVE: Identify the types of news sources used in producing and disseminating Navy news.

For an energetic and resourceful journalist, the avenues for finding news stories are limitless. In reality, however, you will find that your job in the Navy does not afford you the luxury of spending days, or even hours, tracking down elusive leads that may eventually result in one story.

As stated in Chapter 1, the Navy journalist is a public information specialist, and not a free press journalist. Your job is to tell the Navy story. That means you must write positive copy about your command and its people (save adverse news situations). You are employed by the Navy. Therefore, you are expected to work for the Navy.

This is especially true regarding a ship or station newspaper to which you may be assigned. Such publications may be compared with the house organs of civilian businesses covered in Chapter 4. Their purpose is to inform, educate and entertain their readers and to provide a means of recognizing the achievements of the personnel in the organizations they represent. They are not intended as forums for exposes.

WRITTEN COMMUNICATIONS

When performing your job as Navy journalist, you will find that there are three primary sources of Navy news. They are as follows:

Messages, directives and official correspondence

Special contracts (both official and unofficial) maintained by the public affairs officer and his or her staff

The future file

Information about practically every significant event that occurs in the Navy is passed on to those concerned via messages, directives or official correspondence. This includes news of coming events; current fleet exercises and operations; collisions at sea; search, rescue and salvage operations; plane crashes; acts of heroism; weather warnings and unusual weather conditions; changes of command; personnel promotions; new performance records; participation of Navy teams in athletics; upcoming charity drives and countless other occurrences.

Messages

Messages are transmitted between commands by rapid means, such as radio, teletype and flashing light. When a message arrives aboard ship or at a shore activity, a number of copies are made and distributed to various departments. The PAO normally gets copies of all message traffic that might be of interest in carrying out PAO duties.

Information contained in a message is usually brief and tersely written. The information is seldom detailed enough to be used for writing a comprehensive story. However, the basic facts are included and they provide a good starting point for you to develop a story.

Directives

Directives provide another source of Navy news for release to the civilian news media. You will find that much of the information they contain is intended for use by Navy personnel. Information about pay and allowances, uniform changes, advancements and promotions, service members' and dependents' benefits, training and educational programs, new regulations, morale, leadership, charity drives and similar subjects are put out in directive form. When analyzed and written in news story form to play up local interest or some other news peg, information of this type makes good copy for command newspapers and other publications written primarily for a Navy-oriented audience.

Official Correspondence

Official correspondence between commands often provides tips for worthwhile stories. An aviation machinist's mate first class, for example, submits an idea to the Naval Air Systems Command via the chain of command about an Improved method for servicing aircraft. The idea is tested and adopted, and the individual is commended for the initiative and ingenuity shown. The entire transaction takes place on paper in the form of official correspondence. If copies of the letters are routed to the PAO for information, you will have an opportunity to develop a good story for internal and external release if the facts are unclassified

Security is an important factor for you to consider before using any information available in naval messages, directives and official correspondence for a news release. If the material is classified, you must not use it.

SPECIAL CONTACTS

Every public affairs office depends on tips from outside sources to develop stories. Regardless of the size of a command, it is impossible for you to know everything that is going on. By creating a list of special contacts, both officials and personal friends, and acquainting them with your job, you will assure yourself of having a steady flow of news items. Although a stranger may be reluctant to telephone your office and suggest a story, a friend or an acquaintance will feel free to call.

Officially, you should at least know the name, rank and title of every senior officer in your command. You should also have a good idea of the type of work they do and where they can be reached when you need information. If you remain in your job long enough, you will probably have personal contact with them. If you show them you are an efficient and capable person and establish credibility, they will be good sources of news as well.

You will find that your job is easier when Cmdr. Tilde, the medical officer, calls to tell you about a new medical device being tested at the clinic; or when PNC Umlaut informs you that the Navy's oldest enlisted man has reported aboard; or when Mr. Caret at MWR lets you know that a base civilian signed a minor league contract to play in the New York Mets organization; or when Lt. Breve announces to you that he is engaged to marry a former Miss America.

Eventually, all of these stories might have faltered down to the PAO, but the fact that you were informed firsthand gives you ahead start on getting the story out while it is still news.

FUTURE FILE

Most public affairs offices should maintain a current listing of all events that have been scheduled or planned for the future. Material collected in the future file usually falls under the heading of created news. The public affairs office develops the ideas, plans and writes the stories and releases them to achieve maximum dissemination.

The public visitation of your command, for example, is scheduled months in advance. To make sure the visitation is a success, the PAO embarks on a planned publicity program. Prominent public figures are invited as guest speakers. Displays and exhibits are set up. Parades, reviews and drill team demonstrations are planned. An air show, ranging from a simple, low-level flyover to unique maneuvers of the famed Blue Angels, may be scheduled. A steady flow of releases about the program plans is sent to news media to attract attention and visitors. Another event similar to public visitation is a planned, detailed program about the construction of a new ship, especially anew type of ship. A public affairs program is generated for the keel laying, building, christening, launching, fitting out, commissioning, sea trials, assignment to fleet and force commanders, and finally, the shakedown cruise.

However, not all material developed by the PAO takes place on such a large scale. A visit by an important dignitary, a CO's speech, the return of a ship from extended operations, special anniversaries, observances of national holidays in conjunction with the civilian community and athletic and entertainment events that will benefit charities are all created news items included in the future file. The PAO gives these events advance buildups, spot news coverage, and occasionally, follow-up coverage.

The future file is usually a collection of file folders, each one containing advance information about a particular upcoming event. It can also be as simple as a calendar pad with enough space in its blocks to write key words that serve as reminders. A wall-sized grid under plexiglass works well too.

Another variation of the future file is the date-box. This consists of 31 file folders containing advance material for each day of the month.

Whatever arrangement is used, all public affairs offices should maintain a good tickler system of upcoming events to assure complete coverage of all news events.