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MILITARY / MEDIA RELATIONS

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• Elected Decision Makers

• Military Members

PUBLIC PERCEPTION HAS AN IMPACTIMPACT

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• Media

• Political Leaders

• Private Organizations

• Personal Contact

INFLUENCESON THE PUBLIC’S PERCEPTION OF THE

MILITARY

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• Awareness of impact of public perception

• Training

• Public Affairs / Procedures

• Transparent Military Justice System

KEYS TO POSITIVE PUBLIC PERCEPTION

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• Make information available

• No censorship

• Withhold only to protect security, safety, or privacy

• Conduct public affairs planning & coordination

PRINCIPLES FOR PUBLIC AFFAIRS OFFICERS

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• Media Relations

• Internal Information

• Community Relations

FUNCTIONS OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS OFFICE

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LAWS REGULATING RELEASE OF INFORMATION

Freedom of Information Act

- Disclosure is the rule

- Equal access

- Government must justify any denial of access

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CLASSIFICATION OF INFORMATION

Classified documents procedure:

- Decision to release by designated officials

- Classification limitations

Internal practices and rulesTrade secretsMemos and lettersPersonnel and medical filesInvestigatory recordsExempt by statute

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Media goals vs. Military Goals

News is a product to sell ----- Mission comes first

Information = commodity ----- Information = asset

Seek access to information ----- Restrict access

Broad principles, loosely organized ----- Rules, tightly organized

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THE DILEMMA. . .THE DILEMMA. . . MILITARY JUSTICE

PUBLICINTEREST

PERSONALPRIVACY

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U.S. SOLUTION !U.S. SOLUTION ! MILITARY JUSTICE

• Courts-Martial Open to Journalists--But No Cameras

AP Photo/William

Hennessy

• Release:

Name Rank Hometown Charge Details of Confinement

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THE DILEMMA...THE DILEMMA... MILITARY OPERATIONS

PUBLICRIGHTTO KNOW

OPERATIONALSECURITY

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U.S. SOLUTION! MILITARY OPERATIONS

• Commander’s Control

• Roaming Journalists

• Press Pools

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Press Pools

• Pre-selected, given access to area of operations and military information

• Possible conditions for inclusion:– Ready to respond when notified to deploy– No reporting of deployment without

permission– Remain with military escort– Military review of reporting prior to release

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Embedding of MediaProvides long-term, minimally restrictive access to military operations

– Live, work & travel with military units

– Commanders to ensure media provided opportunities to observe actual combat operations

– All interviews on the record

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FALSE REPORTING . . .THE DILEMMA. . .

FREE SPEECH

MISLEADING THE PUBLIC

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U.S. SOLUTION. . .

• Rebuttal

• Media Conference

• Defamation Laws

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CONCLUSION

• Vital Role of the Media

• Military/Media Cooperation

• Methods of Allowing Media Access to Information

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