Military journalism According to JP 1 - 02 , Department of Defense Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms , a military journalist is " A US Service member or Department of Defense civilian employee providing photographic , print , radio , or television command information for military internal audiences . See also command information . ( JP 3 - 61 ) " Military journalists are part of Public Affairs , defined by JP 1 - 02 as " Those public information , command information , and community relations activities directed toward both the external and internal publics with interest in the Department of Defense . " Command information , therefore , is just one of the responsibilities of Public Affairs set by Department of Defense policy . DoDD 5122 . 5 sets forth these Principles of Information : E2 . 1 . INFORMATION It is DoD policy to make available timely and accurate information so that the public , the Congress , and the news media may assess and understand the facts about national security and defense strategy . Requests for information from organizations and private citizens shall be answered quickly . In carrying out that DoD policy , the following principles of information shall apply : E2 . 1 . 1 . Information shall be made fully and readily available , consistent with statutory requirements , unless its release is precluded by national security constraints or valid statutory mandates or exceptions . The " Freedom of Information Act " will be supported in both letter and spirit . E2 . 1 . 2 . A free flow of general and military information shall be made available , without censorship or propaganda , to the men and women of the Armed Forces and their dependents . E2 . 1 . 3 . Information will not be classified or otherwise withheld to protect the Government from criticism or embarrassment . E2 . 1 . 4 . Information shall be withheld when disclosure would adversely affect national security , threaten the safety or privacy of U . S . Government personnel or their families , violate the privacy of the citizens of the United States , or be contrary to law . E2 . 1 . 5 . The Department of Defense ' s obligation to provide the public with information on DoD major programs may require detailed Public Affairs ( PA ) planning and coordination in the Department of Defense and with the other Government Agencies . Such activity is to expedite the flow of information to the public ; propaganda has no place in DoD public affairs programs . DODD 5122 . 5 , Sep . 27 , 2000 JP 1 - 02 defines propaganda as " Any form of communication in support of national objectives designed to influence the opinions , emotions , attitudes , or behavior of any group in order to benefit the sponsor , either directly or indirectly . " The effort to counter enemy propaganda , therefore , both directly and indirectly benefits the sponsor . It has been a function of Psychological Operations ( PSYOP ) and not Public Affairs . JP 1 - 02 defines Counterpropaganda Operations as " Those psychological operations ( PSYOP ) activities that identify adversary propaganda , contribute to situational awareness , and serve to expose adversary attempts to influence friendly populations and military forces . ( JP 3 - 53 ) " Each branch of service has regulations that further define the roles of military journalists , but in a time of war , for example , Doctrine for Public Affairs in Joint Operations ( JP 3 - 61 ) " provides joint doctrine for public affairs support during joint operations and US military support to news media in conjunction with military operations . " JP 3 - 61 states , " PA must be aware of the practice of PSYOP , but should have no role in planning or executing these operations . " The responsibilities of Public Affairs vs PSYOP are , therefore , fundamentally different . JP 3 - 61 of May 14 , 1997 contained no references to adversary propaganda . JP 3 - 61 was updated May 9 , 2005 to include 16 references to adversary propaganda , which includes this revision : " Public affairs counters adversary propaganda and disinformation by providing a continuous flow of credible , reliable , timely , and accurate information to military members , their families , the media , and the public . This capability allows PA to help defeat adversary efforts to diminish national will , degrade morale , and turn world opinion against friendly operations . PA must be engaged in operational planning , have visibility into domestic and international press reports , as well as relevant intelligence , understand common adversary propaganda techniques , and be very aggressive by anticipating and countering adversary propaganda — putting accurate , complete information out first so that friendly forces gain the initiative and remain the preferred source of information . Gaining and maintaining the information initiative in a conflict can help discredit and undermine adversary propaganda . [ . . . ] PA operations keep military members and their families informed about operations , events , and issues to counter adversary propaganda efforts , and reduce stress and uncertainty , and other factors that may undermine mission accomplishment . " The impact of this conflicting update means that the military journalist is required by doctrine to never " influence the opinions , emotions , attitudes , or behavior of any group in order to benefit the sponsor , either directly or indirectly " while at the same time " help defeat adversary efforts to diminish national will , degrade morale , and turn world opinion against friendly operations " and " to counter adversary propaganda efforts , and reduce stress and uncertainty , and other factors that may undermine mission accomplishment " The military journalist is required by doctrine to participate in counter propaganda efforts , even though the same doctrine defines those efforts as a function of PSYOP , which is something Public Affairs should never execute , according to the same doctrine . Military journalist s must rely on the Combatant Commander ' s responsibility , IAW JP 3 - 61 , to " Ensure planned ground rules for releasing information to civilian media apply equally to military journalists and broadcasters . " Then military journalists are unable to release information until it is cleared by a designated release authority , a Public Affairs Officer , whose responsibility is to coordinate and synchronize efforts with PSYOP . Despite the information being releasable according the DOD Principles of Information , the official policy of " Maximum disclosure with minimum delay , " and does not violate Operations Security ( OPSEC ) or threaten national security , any number of subjective factors arising from public perception cause a military journalist ' s information to be withheld from public release , some of which are detailed in DODI 5230 . 29 . According to which , " All information submitted for review to OSR must first be coordinated within the originating DoD Component to ensure that it reflects the organization ’ s policy position . " An additional contradiction in doctrine then arises when news does not reflect " the organization ’ s policy position . " Added to which , all news that is released must reflect the organization ' s policy position , despite doctrine prohibiting information " in order to benefit the sponsor , either directly or indirectly " and other doctrine encouraging the " free flow of information . " The Army ' s policy for military journalists is further clarified in FM 46 - 1 : " Not all news is good news [ . . . ] the Army and its operations will be both positive and negative . [ . . . ] PAOs cannot control media coverage or guarantee positive media products . DoD policy is that information will not be classified or otherwise withheld to protect the government from criticism or embarrassment . Information can only be withheld when its disclosure would adversely affect national and operations security or threaten the safety or privacy of members of the military community . [ . . . ] It is DoD and Army policy to take an active approach to providing information . The Army will practice the principle of “ maximum disclosure with minimum delay , ” even though this will sometimes result in the publication of stories which are not favorable to the command . [ . . . ] Because the Army is an agency of the U . S . government , its internal audiences , local community members , and members of the American public as a whole , have a right to know about its operations . More importantly , the Army has an obligation to keep these audiences informed . [ . . . ] Public affairs operations should employ an active approach . PAOs must take the lead in contributing to accurate , credible , and balanced coverage by practicing maximum disclosure with minimum delay . " Yet the same doctrine states , " Public affairs operations should be planned and executed to influence the presentation of information about the force by providing truthful , complete , and timely information that communicates the Army perspective , " despite conflicting doctrine that denounces propaganda to " influence the opinions , emotions , attitudes , or behavior of any group in order to benefit the sponsor , either directly or indirectly . " In other Army doctrine explaining an Information Operations Estimate , FM 3 - 13 , " IO - cell members — especially the PSYOP , civil - military operations , and public affairs ( PA ) representatives — identify how best to influence the attitudes and actions of the civilian populace . . . " and in a Commander ' s Guidance example , " Use PA to favorably influence the population in the AO and worldwide . Emphasize the lead role of the ASA and tell the truth : that we are here to assist a well - trained army accomplish a worthwhile mission . " The Public Affairs Officer must help , " ensure an integrated strategy and a unified effort to communicate the Army ’ s perspective and to favorably portray tactical and operational objectives . " One distinctly effective way ( of many ) that suppresses military journalism in conflict with this " perspective " or " organizational policy " is taught outside of official , high - level , DoD policy at the Defense Information School , where military journalists and Public Affairs Officers are trained : Command Messages : " plain or secret language " that " communicate the command ’ s position in everything we do " which are designed for informing and " persuading – through accurately provided information – those publics to support and accept the action . " This is a " Command Message ( your organization ' s policy or position ) " Another distinctly effective way that suppresses civilian journalism in conflict with these " command messages " is to employ : Media ground rules : Guidelines that media must adhere to if they want to continue getting support from the military . One of 20 media ground rules , as of October 15 , 2009 , that applies equally to civilian and military journalists in the CJTF - 82 ' s Area of Operations ( AO ) in Afghanistan , for example , is " During interviews , no questions will be asked about the politics of the military . ( e . g . Iraq war , equipment , readiness , funding , etc . ) " Most ground rules are justified by Operations Security . Funding ? These policies remain despite the Commander in Chief , Barack Obama ' s Open Government Directive that conveys the , " Government should be transparent . Transparency promotes accountability and provides information for citizens about what their Government is doing . " The U . S . military journalist , therefore , is a journalist whose job , at the highest level of accountability , is defined by an obligation to fully inform the public without design to directly or indirectly benefit the military , but who must also fight subjective policy , ambiguous definitions , and conflicting doctrine designed to deceive the public with hidden political agendas . The military has been increasingly spending billions to do so , in which Sheldon Rampton , research director for the Committee on Media and Democracy , calls a " massive apparatus selling the military to us . "