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.
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:
*
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
Standard Navy news release
News advisory
Spot news announcements
News conferences
Interviews
Background briefings
Feature releases
Advance releases
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.
7-8
Certain information, however, should always be
included in the heading of a release. Make sure your
release format includes the following items:
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
Name, address and ZIP code of the originating
command
Office telephone numbers (including facsimile
number)
Point(s) of contact for further information
Type of release
Release number
Short headline to identify the content of the
release
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.
