UK Ministry of Defence, The MOD has today, Friday 10 August 2007, responded to media reports which claim that the recent update to the rules on contact with the media and communicating in public (DIN 2007DIN03-006) amount to sweeping new guidelines barring military personnel from speaking about their work.
Personnel are not barred, and the rules are not new.
MOD's Director General of Media and Communication, Simon MacDowall, said:
“It is nonsense to suggest that the MOD is attempting to “gag” personnel. A routine instruction has merely been refreshed and reissued. Its very first line reads “we want our people to communicate the roles and achievements of the MOD and Armed Forces.” This document just sets out the approval procedures to be followed before people speak publicly about work related issues, broadly in line with the standard procedures of every major organisation.
“This instruction, or something similar, has existed for at least a decade. Its sentiments have been reflected in the Service Queens Regulations for many years.
The main changes to this version are:
– Simplification of the language;
– A general update to reflect changes in media technology in recent years;
– Addition of rules on accepting payment for public speaking or talking to the media – a key recommendation of the Hall Report on media handling of the Naval personnel seized by Iran, and
– Placing greater emphasis on operational security – bearing in mind that we are now engaged in two difficult conflicts against enemies who we know monitor what we say and look for new ways of attacking our forces.
“This instruction is not unique. Most commercial companies of any size and government departments – in the UK and overseas – have rules on what its people can do and say publicly or to the media. Nor are they onerous. They say that – apart from in a few cases – people must get permission from their boss before speaking publicly about their work and, if it is potentially newsworthy, from MOD's professional media experts.
“Our people are perfectly entitled to express their opinions on issues unrelated to work without seeking any authorisation, and on work related issues through their chain of command and through our internal communications channels.”
