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Figure 6-3.Copy-edited message news release.
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Journalist 3 & 2 - Introduction to Journalism and other reporting practices
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CHAPTER  7 GATHERING  AND  DISSEMINATING  NAVY  NEWS A fundamental definition of news — a key part of newswriting — is basic to a journalist's understanding 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   It is material previously unknown (or at least unpublished) that the public, in whole or in part, needs or wants to know.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. 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. 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   correspon- dence Special   contracts   (both   official   and   unofficial) maintained  by  the  public  affairs  officer  and  his or her staff The  future  file 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. 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. 7-1







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