be authorized to produce byline writings dealing with
national defense plans, policies, programs or operations
for specific categories of exclusive publications. Their
writings may be printed in official DoD publications or
magazines of other government agencies, of course.
However, they may also be published, exclusively, in
company publications (house organs) or commercially
produced service journals, bona fide scientific and
professional journals or encyclopedias.
Few businesses are more competitive than the
consumer magazine industry. Therefore, a publisher’s
desire for and insistence on exclusive material are very
understandable. The Navy’s policy, however, is to avoid
favoring one publication over its competitors. It is also
Navy policy to make sure all information for the general
public is made available through the normally accepted
public information media. This policy virtually rules out
hard news or “big” stories being written as exclusives
by Navy personnel and explains the restrictions on
writing for commercial publication
Still, there are official stories you can write for
consumer magazines. You just need to be a little
selective.
A newspaper account of a rescue at sea operation,
for example, could be turned into an exciting magazine
article. Even though all the basic facts had been
published at the time, a stylized retelling of the event
could produce some worthwhile reading.
An approach of this kind would not conflict with the
general public’s free access to the information. It is also
reasonable for you to assume that such a story, no longer
an exclusive, would still be of interest to a number of
magazine editors. Numerous story possibilities similar
to that one are almost always available if you are willing
to look for them.
MAGAZINE REVIEW AND
CLEARANCE
LEARNING OBJECTIVE: Determine the
methods of obtaining a review and clearance
for magazine aticles.
While Navy journalists, as well as other naval
personnel, are allowed and encouraged to write for
magazines, certain restrictions exist that must be
considered Permission for Navy men and women to
write magazine articles is contained in PA Regs. Also
contained in PA Regs are the restrictions in magazine
writing and the exceptions to those restrictions.
The restrictions apply to the subject matter of
proposed articles and to dealings with commercial
publications. Unless proper clearance is obtained, no
commitment will be made to furnish any nonofficial
publisher with an official or personal manuscript that
deals with military matters or has national or foreign
implications. Subject matter of that nature includes, but
is not limited to, the following:
Information of national interest
Information originated at, or proposed for release
at, the seat of government
Information concerning foreign and military
policy, atomic energy, guided missiles, new
weapons or chemical, biological and radiological
warfare
Information concerning subjects of potential
controversy between the military services
Material concerning significant policy within the
purview of other U.S. government agencies
Information specially designated from time to
time by the Chief of Naval Operations, or higher
authority, as requiring clearance
Any material about which there is any doubt
concerning its security value or propriety should also be
submitted for review. Manuscripts requiring review and
clearance must be forwarded to CHINFO. The material
for review is to be typewritten, double-spaced on one
side of each sheet of paper and submitted in
quadruplicate. Manuscripts on subjects other than those
just described may be offered to a publisher without
prior clearance from higher authority. However,
published copies of magazine articles should be sent to
CHINFO for inclusion in DON files.
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