CHAPTER 7
NEWSPAPER STAFF SUPERVISION
Although most senior journalists are assigned to
Navy Broadcasting Service (NBS) detachments or
public affairs offices ashore or afloat, your career path
may include a stint as a newspaper staff supervisor.
Navy newspapers are authorized publications that
support command information goals. Usually, they are
published weekly or monthly and contain most of the
following elements: news, features, editorials, sports,
announcements, entertainment items, commander’s
comments, letters to the editor, photographs and
artwork.
As the editor or associate editor of a command
newspaper, you will be responsible for providing an
uncensored flow of news and information to–and
among–sailors and civilian employees, their
commanders and the five-part Navy internal audience
described in Chapter 1. You will do this important task
by supervising the entire operation of the
newspaper–from making story and photography
assignments to formulating a stylebook and making sure
your staff follows it.
NEWSPAPER TYPES
Learning Objective:
Recognize the types of Navy
newspapers and identify the contracting concerns of a
civilian enterprise (CE) newspaper selection com-
mitee..
Depending upon the arrangements in place at your
command, your newspaper will be either funded or
civilian enterprise (CE). Several differences exist
between the two newspapers that you must understand
to become a successful newspaper staff supervisor.
FUNDED
A funded newspaper is published by a Navy
command using appropriated funds, normally the public
affairs allocation of a unit’s operating fund. Installations
and activities with at least 500 personnel, which can
include the combined military and civilian work force
(including tenant commands or embarked detach-
ments), may produce a funded newspaper. Free from
commercial advertising, the layout, design and editorial
content of the funded newspaper are the responsibility
of the base newspaper staff (which is normally apart of
the public affairs office).
The funded newspaper may be printed by a Navy
Publications and Printing Service branch office, Stars
and Stripes printing plant or a commercial publisher
under contract by the Navy. You cannot use
nonappropriated funds for any costs incurred in
publishing an appropriated fund newspaper.
CIVILIAN ENTERPRISE
A CE newspaper is printed by a commercial
publisher under contract with Navy commands. Unlike
the funded newspaper, however, the CE newspaper
contains advertising sold by the commercial publisher.
The news and editorial content, as in the funded
newspaper, are provided by the base newspaper staff.
The CE newspaper is the property of the command,
installation or intended recipient upon delivery. Com-
mands cannot use appropriated or nonappropriated
funds to pay for any part of the production costs incurred
by the CE publisher.
Advantage
The main attraction of the CE newspaper is that it
is published at no cost to the Department of the Navy.
The publisher assumes all financial responsibility for
the newspaper and offsets expenses by selling
advertising space. All Navy commands are encouraged
to establish CE newspapers whenever possible.
Contracting
The underlying reason for having a CE newspaper
is it saves the Navy money by transferring certain
publishing and distribution burdens to a civilian
publisher selected by competitive bid. The PAO and
senior journalist must have a basic understanding of
how to setup a newspaper contract and must know the
provisions of the contract.
In contract law, both parties to a contract must
provide consideration as a part of the contract. The
consideration is often the money and the product
offered. Instead of money, the right and authorization to
publish the unit newspaper are the legal contractual
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