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.