[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 78 (Friday, April 22, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-9621]
[[Page Unknown]]
[Federal Register: April 22, 1994]
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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Office of the Secretary
32 CFR Parts 246 and 247
[DoD Directive 5122.11 and DoD Instruction 5120.4]
Stars and Stripes (S&S) Newspaper and Business Operations
AGENCY: American Forces Information Service, DoD.
ACTION: Final rule.
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SUMMARY: This document revises DoD policy concerning the Stars and
Stripes newspapers and business operations. The revisions are intended
to promote efficiency and economy by updating procedures to meet
changed circumstances, and to accommodate recommendations made by the
General Accounting Office in a Congressionally mandated examination of
Stars and Stripes operations.
EFFECTIVE DATE: October 5, 1993.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Richard Oleszewski, (703) 274-4868.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On August 5, 1993 (58 FR 41671), the
Department of Defense published the proposed rule requesting public
comments concerning Stars and Stripes newspaper and business
operations. Only one written comment was received, which expressed
support for the new guidelines for Stars and Stripes advertising.
Executive Order 12866, ``Regulatory Planning and Review''
It has been determined that 32 CFR parts 246 and 247 do not
constitute ``significant regulatory action.'' They do not:
(1) Have an annual effect on the economy of $100 million or more or
adversely affect in a material way the economy, a sector of the
economy, productivity, jobs, the environment, public health or safety,
or State, local, or tribal governments or communities;
(2) Create a serious inconsistency or otherwise interfere with an
action taken or planned by another agency;
(3) Materially alter the budgetary impact of entitlements, grants,
user fees, or loan programs or the rights and obligations of recipients
thereof; or
(4) Raise novel legal or policy issues arising out of legal
mandates, the President's priorities, or the principles set forth in
Executive Order 12866 (1993).
Public Law 96-354, ``Regulatory Flexibility Act''
It has been certified that these rules are not subject to the
Regulatory Flexibility Act (5 U.S.C. 601). These rules revise existing
rules that establish policy, assign responsibilities and prescribe
procedures within the Department of Defense with regard to the
activities of the Stars and Stripes' newspapers and business
operations. Their primary effect will be to promote efficiency and
economy in the Stars and Stripes organization. They will have minimal,
if any, effect upon small businesses.
Public Law 96-511, ``Paperwork Reduction Act''
It has been certified that 32 CFR parts 246 and 247 do not impose
any reporting or recordkeeping requirements under the Paperwork
Reduction Act of 1980 (44 U.S.C. 3501-3520).
List of Subjects in 32 CFR Parts 246 and 247
Government publications, Newspapers and magazines.
Accordingly, title 32, subchapter M, is amended to add part 246 and
amend part 247 to read as follows:
PART 246--STARS AND STRIPES (S&S) NEWSPAPER AND BUSINESS OPERATIONS
Sec.
246.1 Purpose.
246.2 Applicability.
246.3 Definitions.
246.4 Policy.
246.5 Responsibilities.
246.6 Procedures.
246.7 Information requirements.
Appendix A to Part 246--Mission
Appendix B to Part 246--Business and Financial Operations
Appendix C to Part 246--Personnel Policies and Procedures
Appendix D to Part 246--Editorial Operations
Appendix E to Part 246--Stars and Stripes (S&S) Board of Directors
Authority: 10 U.S.C. 136.
Sec. 246.1 Purpose.
This part:
(a) Establishes policy, assigns responsibilities, and prescribes
procedures for the S&S organizations owned by designated Unified
Commands consistent with 32 CFR part 372.
(b) Supersedes policies and procedures in 32 CFR part 247 about the
S&S newspapers.
(c) Authorizes the establishment, management, operation, and
oversight of the Stars and Stripes, including the resale of commercial
publications necessary to support the overall S&S mission, production,
distribution authority, and business operations as mission-essential
activities of the Department of Defense and the designated Unified
Commands.
(d) Designates the Secretary of the Army as the DoD Executive Agent
for providing administrative and logistical support to the American
Forces Information Service (AFIS), designated Unified Commands, and the
S&S.
(e) Authorizes the Commander in Chief, U.S. European Command, and
the Commander in Chief (CINC), U.S. Pacific Command, to establish and
maintain a S&S board of directors to address S&S business operations in
their Unified Commands.
Sec. 246.2 Applicability.
This part applies to the Office of the Secretary of Defense, the
Military Departments (including their National Guard and Reserve
components), the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Joint
Staff, the Unified and Specified Commands, the Inspector General of the
Department of Defense, the Defense Agencies, and the DoD Field
Activities (hereafter referred to collectively as ``the DoD
Components''). The term ``the Military Services,'' as used herein,
refers to the Army, the Navy, the Air Force, and the Marine Corps.
Sec. 246.3 Definitions.
(a) Adverse Conditions. Conditions that may adversely affect the
survival of the newspapers such as troop drawdown, increase in troop
population, currency fluctuations, inflation, armed conflict, national
contingency deployment, and others.
(b) S&S Commander/Publisher. The senior position in each S&S
responsible for simultaneously performing dual functions. This military
officer commands the S&S to which assigned, while also serving as the
publisher of the Stars and Stripes produced by that organization.
(c) S&S Management Action Group (MAG) and S&S Steering Committee.
These are ad hoc joint committees between the Office of the Assistant
Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs) [OASD (PA)] and the Office of the
Assistant Secretary of Defense (Force Management and Personnel) [OASD
(FM&P)] that address S&S personnel and business policies. The S&S MAG
is chaired by the senior OASD (PA) AFIS member and includes members
from the OASD (FM&P) and other DoD offices with the authority and
expertise to address various S&S problems. The Director of the AFIS,
and the Deputy Assistant Secretary, OASD (FM&P), serves as co-chairman
of the S&S Steering Committee that addresses DoD-level S&S issues.
Neither the DoD S&S Steering Committee, nor the S&S MAG, involve
themselves in Stars and Stripes editorial policies.
(d) S&S Ombudsman. A highly qualified journalist hired from outside
the Department of Defense for a term of 3 years who independently
advises the Unified Command CINCs, the S&S commander/publisher, the
Stars and Stripes editor, the Director of the AFIS, and the Congress on
matters of readership interest in the Stars and Stripes.
(e) Stars and Stripes. The title of one, or both, depending on the
context of usage, of the newspapers produced by the S&S.
(f) Stars and Stripes Editor. The senior civilian position on the
newspaper editorial staff of the S&S to which he or she is assigned.
All mention of ``the editor'' in this part refers exclusively to this
position, unless otherwise specified.
(g) Stars and Stripes (S&S). The organizations that perform the
administrative, editorial, and business operations, which include
newspapers, bookstores, job-printing plants, etc. necessary to do their
mission.
Sec. 246.4 Policy.
It is DoD policy that:
(a) The U.S. European Command and the U.S. Pacific Command are
authorized to publish the Stars and Stripes and provide support to the
S&S. The Unified Command component commanders and their public affairs
staffs shall provide the Stars and Stripes editorial staffs the same
help provided to commercial newspapers, in compliance with the
principles governing the release of information to media in 32 CFR part
375.
(b) Editorial policies and practices of the Stars and Stripes shall
be in accordance with journalistic standards governing U.S. daily
commercial newspapers of the highest quality, with emphasis on matters
of interest to the Stars and Stripes readership. Except as provided in
paragraph (e) of this section, the DoD policy for the Stars and Stripes
is that there shall be a free flow of news and information to its
readership without news management or censorship. The calculated
withholding of unfavorable news is prohibited.
(c) The S&S are basically self-sustaining operations. Each S&S
shall be administered in accordance with DoD Directive 1015.1\1\ as a
joint-Service nonappropriated fund (NAF) instrumentality (NAFI) in its
Unified Command, except where different procedures are specified in
this part. Funding shall be provided through newspaper sales, resale of
commercial publications, authorized advertising, job printing, and
appropriated fund (APF) support as authorized by this part, DoD
Directive 1015.6\2\ and DoD Instruction 1330.18\3\. The S&S shall
conduct bookstore operations similar to business operations of
commercial bookstores in the United States. The Stars and Stripes and
the S&S bookstores provide important news and information to U.S.
personnel and their families stationed overseas while generating NAF
revenues.
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\1\Copies may be obtained, at cost, from the National Technical
Information Service, 5285 Port Royal Road, Springfield, VA 22161.
\2\See footnote 1 to section 246.4(c).
\3\See footnote 1 to section 246.4(c).
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(d) The Stars and Stripes personnel procedures shall differ from
commercial newspapers only because the S&S are U.S. Government
organizations that are required to operate in accordance with the
following:
(1) 32 CFR part 40, other Federal laws and DoD Directives that
affect all DoD employees, and the Manual for Courts Martial (MCM),
1984\4\, for S&S military personnel on active duty.
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\4\See footnote 1 to section 246.4(c).
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(2) National security constraints prescribed by E.O. 12356 (47 FR
14874 and 15557, 3 CFR, 1982 Comp., p. 166).
(3) Overseas status of forces agreements (SOFAs), where applicable.
(e)(1) The only circumstances under which news or information that
is not in the public domain may be directed to be withheld from
publication in the Stars and Stripes by a Unified Command CINC are when
such publication:
(i) Involves disclosure of classified national security
information.
(ii) Would adversely affect national security.
(iii) Clearly endangers the lives of U.S. personnel.
(2) Those circumstances in paragraphs (e)(1)(i) through (e)(1)(iii)
may not be construed to permit the calculated withholding of news
unfavorable to the Department of Defense, the Military Services, or the
U.S. Government. Only the Unified Command CINC may authorize
withholding of news or information from the Stars and Stripes. When the
CINC directs withholding of publication, the Unified Command shall
immediately inform the ASD(PA) by telephone and then forward an
immediate precedence, appropriately classified, message to the
following: SECDEF Washington DC//OATSD-PA, with information copies to
the Director, AFIS, and the Special Assistant for Public Affairs to the
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The CINC may include the
appropriate ``AMEMBASSY'' as an information addressee.
(f) Sensitivities of host-nations shall not be a reason to withhold
any story from publication in the Stars and Stripes. The Unified
Command theater host-nation sensitivity lists prepared for the Armed
Forces Radio and Television Service (AFRTS) shall not be used to
restrict the content of the Stars and Stripes. If representatives of
other governments show an interest in, or concern about, the content of
the Stars and Stripes, they shall be informed that:
(1) The Stars and Stripes does not represent the official position
of the U.S. Government, including the Department of Defense or the
Unified Command.
(2) The Stars and Stripes is an unofficial, abstracted collection
of commercial news and opinion available to commercial newspapers in
the United States, along with Stars and Stripes editorial staff-
generated DoD, command, and local news and information. The Stars and
Stripes provides this information to the members of the Department of
Defense and their family members serving overseas, as do commercial
daily newspapers that are published and sold throughout the United
States in keeping with the principles of the First Amendment to the
U.S. Constitution.
(g) The Department of the Army shall be the DoD Executive Agency to
provide APF and NAF support to the S&S. APFs shall be provided, when
required by adverse conditions or special circumstances as defined in
Sec. 246.3, by the Military Services, as agreed on through a memorandum
of agreement (MOA) detailing the shared responsibilities, and approved
by the OSD and the Unified Commands.
Sec. 246.5 Responsibilities.
(a) The Assistant to the Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs),
under 32 CFR part 375, as the principal staff assistant to the
Secretary of Defense for internal information policy and programs,
including S&S matters, shall:
(1) Provide policy and broad operational guidance to the Director
of the AFIS.
(2) Monitor and evaluate the overall effectiveness of the policies
in Sec. 246.4, and procedures in Sec. 246.6.
(b) The Director, American Forces Information Service, under 32 CFR
part 372 shall:
(1) Develop, issue, and oversee the implementation of policies and
procedures for the Unified Commands and the Military Departments for
the operation of the S&S.
(2) Provide business and policy counsel on the mission performance
and financial operations of the S&S.
(3) Serve as the DoD point of contact with the Congressional Joint
Committee on Printing (JCP) for S&S matters.
(4) In coordination with the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
and the ATSD(PA), provide broad and overall planning guidelines to the
Unified Commands for S&S wartime operations that involve more than one
area of responsibility.
(5) Chair, as required, at the Deputy Assistant to the Secretary of
Defense level, or above, the steering committee providing guidance to
the S&S MAG.
(6) Select and employ the S&S Ombudsman.
(c) The Secretaries of the Military Departments shall:
(1) Nominate the most highly-qualfied military personnel for
positions in the S&S in acordance with Appdendix C to this part.
(2) Enter into appropriate MOAs, as provided by the Unified
Commanders and, as required by the Office of the Secretary of Defense
(OSD), to provide APF and/or NAF support when required by adverse
conditions as defined in Sec. 246.3(a).
(d) The Secretary of the Army shall:
(1) Provide administrative and logistic support, as the DoD
Executive Agent, to the S&S organizations.
(2) Support NAF and APF accounting and reporting procuedures
required by DoD Instruction 7000.12\5\, in coordination with the
Unified Commands and the Director of the AFIS.
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\5\See footnote 1 to Sec. 246.4(c).
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(3) Designate the successor-in-interest to the S&S, as agreed upon
by the applicable Unified Command and the Director of the AFIS.
(e) The Commander in Chief, U.S. European Command, and the
Commander in Chief, U.S. Pacific Command, shall:
(1) Authorize a Stars and Stripes newspaper, provide operational
direction to the S&S commander publisher, and support the S&S
throughout the Unified Command area of responsibility, consistent with
each organization's status as a category B NAFI.
(2) Provide Unified Command regulations and guidance, as needed, to
carry out this part.
(3) Establish procedures to resolve situations wherein a U.S.
Ambassador (or, if so designated, the chief of mission) believes a
specific issue in his or her nation of responsibility, not already in
the public domain through other news sources, would violate national
security or endanger the safety of American citizens, or other persons
under their jurisdiction, if it were to be published in the Stars and
Stripes.
(4) Select the S&S commander/publisher and other military officers
in S&S positions.
(5) Aid the S&S commander/publisher to educate the Stars and
Stripes editorial staff about the missions of their Unified Command and
Military Service component commands.
(6) Approve the selection of the Stars and Stripes editor.
(7) Establish and maintain a S&S board of directors to address S&S
business operations. (See Appendix E to this part)
(8) Establish and maintain Stars and Stripes readership forums,
which may take many forms, to address Stars and Stripes matters of
interest and S&S bookstore operations. Those forums are to provide
community feedback to the S&S. This will enable the S&S commander/
publisher and the Stars and Stripes editor to better understand and,
thereby, better serve the interests and needs of the readers and
bookstore customers.
(9) At the discretion of the Unified Command CINC, provide for
meetings between the S&S commander/publisher and the Stars and Stripes
editor, the Unified Command public affairs office, and the Unified
Command component commands, represented by their directors of public
affairs, to discuss the performance of the Stars and Stripes and the
performance of related public affairs operations. The Unified Commands,
their component commands, and the S&S may invite any attendees they
choose. Representatives from the AFIS may attend. Those meetings may
not serve as editorial advisory boards. The Unified Command and
component commands represent the principal source, and a prominent
subject, of Stars and Stripes staff-generated news coverage.
Consequently, any involvement or appearance of involvement by component
command staffs in the Stars and Stripes editorial policy creates an
unacceptable conflict of interest damaging to the editorial integrity
and credibility of the Stars and Stripes.
(10) Ensure that the S&S Commander/Publisher:
(i) Assumes the duties and responsibilities of command, leadership,
management, and training for the S&S.
(ii) Executes DoD and Unified Command policy.
(iii) Is responsible to the Unified Command CINC for S&S operations
to include the newspaper publication and timely circulation, the
operation of the S&S resale and job printing activities, and associated
distribution systems in the relevant Unified Command area of
responsibility.
(iv) Provides planning and execution of initiatives to ensure
support of U.S. Armed Forces during contingency operations and armed
conflict. The S&S commander/publisher shall identify wartime and
contingency S&S personnel asset requirements to the Unified Command
CINC to fulfill the Unified Command force responsibilities during armed
conflict.
(v) Selects the Stars and Stripes editor.
(vi) Approves, in coordination with the Stars and Stripes editor,
military personnel selectees for the Stars and Stripes editorial staff.
(See Appendix C to this part)
(vii) Provides a current status briefing and 2-year financial
forecast to the Director of the AFIS at the annual AFIS S&S meeting.
Provides support to the S&S board of directors as required in Appendix
E to this part.
(viii) Conducts frequent independent readership surveys, in
accordance with DoD Instruction 1100.136, and readership focus
groups to gather information.
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\6\See footnote 1 to section 246.4(c).
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(f) The Other Unified Commanders in Chief shall ensure that their
deployment exercise, contingency, and war-time planning documents
reflect the S&S transportation, funding or reimbursement, and in-
theater distribution requirements, as applicable. Information copies of
such planning documents or annexes shall be furnished to the following:
(1) U.S. European Command (ATTN: Director, Public Affairs).
(2) U.S. Pacific Command (ATTN: Director, Public Affairs).
(3) The AFIS (ATTN: Assistant Director for Plans and Policy).
Sec. 246.6 Procedures.
(a) General. (1) Authority to establish or disestablish S&S
operations is from the Secretary of Defense through the ATSD(PA) and
the Director of the AFIS. The Unified Commands shall forward such
requests to the Director of the AFIS, as required.
(2) Classified information shall be protected in accordance with 32
CFR parts 159 and 159a.
(3) The Stars and Stripes and the S&S business operations shall
conform to applicable regulations and laws involving libel, copyright,
U.S. Government printing and postal regulations, and DoD personnel
policies and procedures.
(4) With the concurrence of the Unified Command, the S&S is
authorized direct communication with the Military Services on S&S
personnel matters and with the Department of the Army on S&S financial
matters. The S&S shall keep the Unified Command and the AFIS informed
of all actions.
(b) Management Review and Evaluation. (1) The Director of the AFIS
provides business counsel, assistance, and policy oversight for the
S&S. The Director of the AFIS shall meet annually with the Unified
Command representatives, to include the S&S commander/publisher, and
senior DoD officials who have S&S responsibilities, such as the S&S
MAG.
(2) The Director of the AFIS shall be assisted by a S&S MAG
composed of senior representatives from the AFIS, the OASD(FM&P), and
the other DoD offices with the authority and expertise to aid in
solving S&S problems. As needed, the Director of the AFIS may organize
a DoD steering committee to oversee and aid the S&S MAG to address
specific concerns identified by the Director of the AFIS and the
Unified Command CINCs.
(3) In accordance with DoD Instruction 7600.6\7\, and Army
implementation thereof, the S&S shall be audited on an annual basis,
either by the Army Audit Agency (AAA) or by an AAA-approved audit
contractor. NAF funds of the S&S shall be used for such contracts. The
audits will be performance audits and may be financial in nature as
prescribed by the Comptroller General of the United States Government
Auditing Standards. Each annual audit will determine whether prior
audit recommendations have been implemented and the reasons any have
not been implemented. When the Inspector General, DoD, elects to
perform an audit of the S&S organization, such audit may substitute for
the required annual audit. The S&S organizations shall coordinate their
audit requirements with each other and the Army Community and Family
Support Center to the maximum extent practicable to avoid duplication
of costs and to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of these
audits. Information copies of the audit contractor reports shall be
forwarded by the S&S to the Unified Commands, AFIS and AAA. The S&S
shall provide a response to the audit to the Unified Command CINC
within 60 days of receiving the completed report. The S&S response to
the audit must indicate a concurrence or nonconcurrence for each
finding and recommendation. For each concurrence the corrective actions
taken or planned should be described and completion dates for actions
already taken, as well as the estimated dates for completion of planned
actions, should be provided. For each nonconcurrence, specific reasons
must be stated. If appropriate, alternative methods for accomplishing
desired improvements may be proposed. If nonconcurrences in the
findings and recommendations cannot be resolved between the S&S
management and the auditors or AAA endorses the contractors' findings
and recommendations, then the resolution procedures established by DoD
Directive 7650.3\8\, and Army Regulations should be followed. The
Unified Command shall forward the response to the Director of the AFIS
and the AAA.
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\7\See footnote 1 to Sec. 246.4(c).
\8\See footnote 1 to Sec. 246.4(c).
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Sec. 246.7 Information requirements.
The reporting requirements in Sec. 246.6, and Appendix B to this
part shall be submitted in accordance with DoD Instruction 7000.12, and
7600.6, unless specifically excepted by this part.
Appendix A to Part 246--Mission
A. General. The Stars and Strips (S&S) organizations shall
contribute to the overall U.S. joint-defense mission overseas by
providing news and information for the Armed Forces internal
audiences serving in a Unified Command area of responsibility, or
deployed in support of designated joint-Service exercises,
contingency operations, or situations of armed conflict. That shall
be done through the operation of a daily newspaper and resale
activities of commercial publications (primarily through the S&S
bookstores).
B. Newspapers. The Stars and Stripes coverage of news and
information makes possible the continued exercise of the
responsibilities of citizenship by DoD personnel and their families
overseas. The Stars and Stripes are to be published overseas during
peacetime, contingency operations, and armed conflicts. They shall
provide the same range of international, national, and regional news
and opinion from commercial sources, as is provided by newspapers in
the United States. Additionally, to better serve their readers, the
Stars and Stripes shall pay special attention to news of local,
host-country conditions relevant to their audiences. They shall
provide, through their reporters and bureaus, news of local military
communities within the theater and news of the U.S. Government, the
Department of Defense, the Military Services, and theater operations
not usually available to readers from outside commercial sources.
The Stars and Stripes are to serve the interests of their overseas
DoD readership as do prominent commercial daily newspapers
throughout the United States.
C. S&S Bookstores and Retail Operations. The S&S shall serve
readers' needs for contemporary news and information by providing a
broad selection of resale commercial publications of interest to
their customers at the most reasonable prices, either directly in
the S&S bookstores or through other authorized sales outlets at
their discretion throughout the Unified Command designated
geographic area. The S&S shall have the same authorities and rights
for resale commercial publications that the military exchange
services have for other nonsubsistence goods and services.
D. S&S Job Shop Printing. The S&S are authorized to operate job
shop printing, to include book publishing and/or printing, within
the Unified Commands for U.S. military community newspapers,
military organizations, nonappropriated fund (NAF) instrumentalities
(NAFI), Morale, Welfare, and Recreation (MWR) activities, private
organizations of interest and concern to the Department of Defense,
as designated by 32 CFR part 212, DoD employees and their immediate
families, and others designated by the Unified Command.
E. War-Time Mission and Contingency Operations. The S&S shall
provide the Stars and Stripes on a daily basis for transportation
to, and distribution in, the designated area of operations, as
requested and funded by the responsible Unified Command Commander-
in-Chief (CINC), and supported by the respective Unified Command
owning the S&S organization. The Unified Commands shall plan for
required airlift on a timely basis and intratheater distribution of
daily Stars and Stripes newspapers as part of their operational
planning documents. Intratheater distribution and required airlift
of the Stars and Stripes shall be the responsibility of the
supported Unified Command CINC and respective component commands,
who shall reimburse the S&S for nonresale issues on a per-issue
basis. When deployed to an area of operations, the Stars and Stripes
reporters shall operate in the same manner as commercial media
representatives. The deployed Stars and Stripes reporters shall be
eligible for participation in DoD and command-sponsored regional and
local media pools.
Appendix B to Part 246--Business and Financial Operations
A. General Financial Operations. 1. For financial management
purposes, the Unified Commands shall administer the Stars and
Stripes (S&S), with policy oversight exercised by the Director of
the American Forces Information Service (AFIS), as nonappropriated
fund instrumentalities (NAFIs) in accordance with Sec. 246.4(c),
except where procedures differ as defined in this part. The S&S
shall report as prescribed in DoD Instruction 7000.12,\1\ providing
information copies to the Unified Commands and the Director of the
AFIS.
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\1\Copies may be obtained, at cost, from the National Technical
Information Service, 5285 Port Royal Road, Springfield, VA 22161.
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a. The S&S shall be authorized nonappropriated fund (NAF) and
appropriated fund (APF) support as category B NAFIs as provided
under DoD Instruction 1015.6.\2\
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\2\See footnote 1 to A.1. of this Appendix.
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b. The S&S shall be funded to the maximum extent possible
through the sale and distribution of the newspaper, news magazines,
books, periodicals, and similar products; job printing; authorized
advertising revenues; and other authorized sources of revenue, as
approved by the Department of Defense and the Congress.
c. APF support shall be kept to a minimum, consistent with the
S&S mission.
2. The Secretary of the Army shall be the DoD Executive Agent
for APF and NAF support to the S&S. If adverse conditions occur, the
other Military Services shall provide proportionate funding support
through a memorandum of agreement (MOA) containing funding
procedures coordinated with the affected Unified Commands and the
AFIS. Copies of the agreement shall be provided to all concerned
parties.
3. The Stars and Stripes and other S&S commercial resale
publications may be made available within the Unified Command to
other U.S. Government Agency members, and U.S. Government
contractors, as approved by the Unified Command.
4. The S&S system of accounting and internal control shall
conform with the requirements of DoD Instruction 7000.12, Army
regulations on Morale, Welfare and Recreation (MWR) activities and
NAFIs, and NAF accounting policies and procedures, except as
authorized by the S&S Comptroller's Manual to meet business and
consolidation requirements. The S&S shall ensure that quarterly
reports are furnished to the Unified Commands, the S&S Board of
Directors, and the Director of the AFIS.
B. Appropriated Funds. In addition to DoD Directive 1015.6, the
S&S shall be authorized APF support:
1. As provided by the U.S. Army for direct funding support when
adverse conditions make such funding necessary to ensure the
survival of the newspaper without impairment of mission capability.
The Secretary of the Army shall provide such funding when requested
by the affected Unified Command Commander-in-Chief (CINC), through
the Director of the AFIS.
2. For regional air transportation of the newspaper, overseas
``transportation of things'' as authorized to joint-Service NAFIs;
and electronic, optical, or satellite transmission of the newspaper
when long distances require these modes to ensure timely and
economical delivery.
3. As required, to transport Stars and Stripes to officially
designated ``remote and isolated'' locations. The Unified Commands
may authorize DoD official postage to remote and isolated locations,
if that action is required to ensure timely delivery. Each S&S shall
annually review its mailing support to minimize APF expenditures.
The U.S. postal regulations apply to the S&S.
a. The S&S shall use in-house or other non-postal means of
transportation to distribute the newspaper to areas that are not
designated as remote and isolated.
b. The S&S are authorized to use official managerial and
administrative mail related exclusively to the business of the U.S.
Government in accordance with DoD 4525.8-M,\3\ Chapter 3, Subsection
O.8. Such official mail is also authorized to support archive
responsibilities in the United States, as designated by the AFIS.
Official mail may forward the Stars and Stripes through the
Department of Defense to the Congress. Official mail is not
authorized to provide the Stars and Stripes to general readership or
to support in-theater distribution of S&S resale commercial
publications.
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\3\See footnote 1 to A.1. of this Appendix.
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4. For transportation of military personnel incident to mission-
essential travel, required military training, participation in
contingency operations, in military field exercises, such as
``REFORGER'' or ``TEAM SPIRIT,'' or to areas of armed conflict.
5. In times of armed conflict or national contingency
deployment, as directed by the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
for production and free distribution of the Stars and Stripes to
forces as designated. The other Military Services shall reimburse
the Department of the Army for services as authorized in the MOA.
The Unified Commands shall endeavor to provide the Stars and Stripes
and other S&S services for DoD personnel engaged in military
operations, contingency operations, and exercises in the most
expeditious manner possible as requested by the participating
commands. The requesting Unified Command shall be responsible for
distribution of the Stars and Stripes within its theater of
operations. These services shall be provided on a reimbursable basis
to the S&S.
6. In other agreements as made with the Unified Commands, the
Department of Defense, and the U.S. Army as the DoD Executive
Agency.
C. Nonapproriated Funds. 1. So that the Department of the Army
may perform its duties as the DoD Executive Agency, the S&S NAFS
shall be invested in the Army's Banking and Investment Program and
insured with the Army's Risk Management Insurance Program in
accordance with DoD instruction 7000.12 and the implementing Army
regulations.
2. Excess NAFs belonging to the S&S may be declared excess by
the Unified Command CINC, upon the recommendation of the S&S board
of directors, under the guidelines in section C.3. of this Appendix.
Disposition of excess NAFs shall be as directed by the Unified
Command CINC. The S&S NAFs declared in excess in one theater may be
allocated or loaned to the other Unified Command for S&S-related
activities.
3. The S&S NAFs may be declared in excess only if the following
conditions are met:
a. The S&S working capital is at a level to continue prudent
operations.
b. The local national S&S employee retirement and severance
accounts are fully funded. The other S&S employment agreements
required by applicable NAF regulations must also be fully funded.
c. Sufficient capital is available from an investment and/or
contingency fund to complete all planned and projected capital
expenditure projects, and to fulfill the other legitimate S&S
business obligations.
d. Additional sinking funds are available to sustain the S&S
through foreseeable periods of financial crisis created by adverse
conditions. The sinking fund level shall be determined by the S&S
board of directors and recommended to the Unified Command CINC for
approval.
e. The retail price of the Stars and Stripes is at, or below,
the most prevalent charge for similar U.S. newspapers. That shall be
determined by the S&S board of directors and recommended to the
Unified Command CINC for approval. The Director of the AFIS will be
informed of any decision to raise the retail sales price of Stars
and Stripes and will provide the Unified Command CINC an assessment
of average commercial newspaper sales prices throughout the United
States. The availability of the Stars and Stripes at reasonable cost
to overseas personnel, commensurate with the retail sales price of
comparable commercial newspapers throughout the United States, is a
major quality-of-life consideration. A reasonable retail sales price
is critical to ensure the greatest access for all overseas personnel
and their family members to current print news and information so
that they may remain informed U.S. citizens.
f. The S&S books, periodicals, magazines, and similar products
are to be sold at no more than cover price and should be discounted
to an appropriate level that still sustains full S&S operations, as
determined by the S&S board of directors and recommended to the
Unified Command CINC for approval.
4. Under adverse conditions, the S&S commander/publisher may
apply for NAF support through the Unified Commands to the Director
of the AFIS. Following approval by the Unified Command, the Director
of the AFIS shall forward the request to the Secretary of the Army
for appropriate action. Such NAF requests must first be recommended
by the S&S board of directors and approved by the Unified Command
CINC. In these cases, the S&S NAFs in either Unified Command may be
considered as the first source before forwarding a request to the
Department of the Army. The Unified Commands may lend NAFs from one
S&S to the other through an MOA.
D. Bookstores and Related Resale Activities. 1. The S&S shall
endeavor to provide the same selection of resale commercial
publications that would be available in quality bookstores in the
United States through its bookstores, or, at the discretion of the
S&S management, other authorized sales outlets. The S&S has the same
authorities and rights for resale and distribution of commercial
publications that the military exchange services have on military
installations for other nonsubsistence goods and services. The
assortment of commercial books, periodicals, magazines, and similar
products shall approximate publications commercially available in
United States bookstore chains of similar size. Decisions on which
publications to include shall be made by the S&S on the basis of
marketability and service, not content. As an exception to the Army
NAF procurement regulations, contracting authority limitations
applicable to U.S. Army and joint-Service NAFIs do not apply to the
S&S procurement of resale commercial publications. Limitations will
be as recommended by the S&S board of directors and approved by the
Unified Command.
2. The Unified Command CINC shall adjudicate publications resale
issues within the theater that cannot be resolved by the S&S at the
operating level.
3. Both S&S shall consolidate their wholesale purchases of
commercial publications to the maximum extent, consistent with
Unified Command distribution criteria, actual economies of scale,
and cost-efficiencies. Consolidation initiatives shall be worked in
concert with the Unified Commands, the AFIS, and the S&S board of
directors. As recommended by the S&S board of directors and approved
by the Unified Command CINC, the S&S bookstores shall offer
discounts similar to commercial United States bookstore franchises.
The offering of discounts should not endanger the financial
viability of the S&S.
4. The S&S bookstores shall be audited by the S&S management at
least annually. Where bookstores are operating at a consistent
financial loss, the S&S may consider servicing readers through
arrangements with exchanges, other military outlets, or consider
consolidation at central points.
a. Bookstore inventory levels shall be verified internally on a
semiannual basis. Inventory levels shall be held to cost-effective
levels that still consider the servicing needs of overseas
customers.
b. The S&S shall establish affidavit-return procedures to
vendors and/or publishers, where possible, to return damaged
merchandise, overstock, or out-of-date publications to reduce APF
expenditures necessary for ``over-the-water'' transportation.
5. The S&S shall conduct local ``market-penetration'' surveys.
The S&S shall also operate a ``customer-complaint'' feedback system
to monitor its service and provide the best possible service to its
customers. The results of those surveys shall be provided to the
Unified Command with recommendations to the S&S board of directors,
as required.
E. Advertising. 1. As U.S. Government publications, the Stars
and Stripes operate under the authority of the ``Government Printing
& Binding Regulations''\4\ issued by the Joint Committee on Printing
(JCP) of the U.S. Congress. To serve the readership, the JCP has
granted an exemption to Title III of the ``Government Printing and
Binding Regulations'', authorizing the Stars and Stripes to carry
limited advertising so that they may provide information to overseas
DoD personnel and their families on commercial goods and services.
The Stars and Stripes are authorized to solicit, sell, publish, and
circulate display advertising, paid classified ads, and supplement
section advertising, to include price and brand names of products or
services and related coupons that are available through authorized
Government outlets, their concessionaires, NAF activities, or
private organizations operating on DoD installations under 32 CFR
part 212. The Stars and Stripes may have run-of-the-paper display
advertising not to exceed 25 percent of the newspaper over a period
of 1 month. In addition, the Stars and Stripes are authorized to
sell, publish, and circulate display advertising, and supplement
section advertising for consumer goods and services not available
through authorized Government outlets, their concessionaires, NAF
activities, or private organizations operating on DoD installations
under 32 CFR part 212 when sponsored by MWR activities, NAFIs, or
Type I (Federally Sanctioned) private organizations as defined by 32
CFR part 212. Implementation of the advertising authority shall be
as specified by the Director of the AFIS, who shall coordinate with
the JCP.
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\4\Copies may be obtained from the Joint Committee on Printing
of the U.S. Congress, 818 Hart Senate Office Building, Washington,
DC 20510.
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2. The Stars and Stripes may sell, through commercial
advertising agencies, run-of-the-paper advertising of DoD recruiting
and retention programs or activities.
3. The S&S has the right to refuse any advertising.
4. The Stars and Stripes may publish news stories on special
DoD-affiliated tours or entertainment opportunities for DoD
personnel and their dependents in accordance with DoD Instructions
1015.2\5\ and 1330.13\6\.
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\5\See footnote 1 to A.1 of this Appendix.
\6\See footnote 1 to A.1 of this Appendix.
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5. The S&S may promote the Stars and Stripes, books,
periodicals, magazines and similar products; authorized advertising;
and job printing services (except APF) in the Stars and Stripes.
Books, periodicals, magazines, and similar product promotions may
include publications by name, title, author, and price. The Stars
and Stripes also may promote literacy, health, safety, and other
community service issues.
6. The S&S may promote AFRTS schedules, programs, and services
in their newspapers and bookstores. The S&S shall cooperate with
AFRTS outlets to promote each others' programs and services as
authorized by DoD Directive 5120.20\7\.
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\7\See footnote 1 to A.1 of this Appendix.
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7. As a newspaper operated by the Department of Defense, the
Stars and Stripes may not:
a. Contain any material that implies that the DoD Components or
their subordinate levels endorse or favor a specific commercial and/
or individually-owned product, commodity, or service.
b. Subscribe, even at no cost, to a commercial, feature wire, or
other service whose primary purpose is the advertisement or
promotion of commercial products, commodities, or services.
c. Carry any advertisement that implies discrimination as to
race, age, origin, gender, politics, religion, or physical
characteristics that include health.
F. Trademark. The S&S shall trademark the Stars and Stripes in
overseas areas where it is distributed.
Appendix C to Part 246--Personnel Policies and Procedures
A. General Nonappropriated Fund (NAF) Employment Policies. 1.
The Stars and Stripes (S&S) shall have a personnel system that is
business oriented in terms of personnel management concepts. The
system shall provide maximum authority and accountability to the S&S
managers at all levels and shall endeavor to improve productivity
through a system of awards and bonuses for high-performing
employees. The S&S NAF employees shall be governed in accordance
with the U.S. Army NAF regulations, except where exceptions to
general policy have been granted by the Unified Commands, the
American Forces Information Service (AFIS), and the U.S. Army to the
S&S.
2. As DoD employees, the S&S civilian personnel shall abide by
32 CFR part 40, the Department of Defense, the Unified Command, and
the U.S. Army regulations, U.S. laws governing Government employees,
the applicable host-nation laws, and the applicable status of forces
agreements (SOFA) requirements. The S&S commander/publisher shall
ensure that the S&S employees are made aware of those provisions
before being hired and that employees receive adequate personnel
training.
3. The S&S shall endeavor to recruit civilian personnel with
solid experience, education, and performance credentials in the
required business, publishing, or editorial disciplines. The S&S, as
part of its hiring practices, shall specify terms of Government
employment and include responsibilities, such as those in 32 CFR
part 40, so that the S&S civilian employees are fully aware of their
obligations as DoD employees.
B. Appropriated Fund (APF) Personnel Assignment Authority.
Appropriated-funded manpower staffing to operate, manage, or support
the S&S is authorized under DoD Directive 1015.4.\1\
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\1\Copies may be obtained, at cost, from the National Technical
Information Service, 5285 Port Royal Road, Springfield, VA 22161.
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C. Military Officer Personnel Procedures. 1. Candidates for the
S&S military officer positions shall be nominated by the Military
Services, through the Director of the AFIS, to the Unified Command
Commander-in-Chief (CINC), who shall make the final selection. The
S&S military officer positions considered for nomination shall be
the S&S commander/publisher and deputy commander(s).
a. The S&S commander/publisher should have military public
affairs and joint-Service experience, and a journalism degree.
b. The S&S officers supervising business operations should have
experience in DoD Comptroller functions and be familiar with laws
and regulations applicable to DoD and NAFI business operations. A
master's degree in business administration is desirable, but not
mandatory.
c. Instead of an advanced degree or military public affairs
experience, nominees may be authorized, by the Unified Command CINC
and the AFIS, to substitute a DoD-funded ``training-with-industry''
program with comparable newspaper operations in the United States.
d. The Unified Commands shall forecast military vacancies in the
S&S to allow time for the Military Services' nomination processes to
be completed and provide for education before the S&S assignment.
e. The Military Services shall provide highly qualified officers
for all S&S assignments at the required grade levels.
2. Military officers selected for duty as S&S commander/
publisher shall undergo a ``training-with-industry'' program to
provide real-world training with a commercial newspaper. That
program shall be administered by the Director of the AFIS, in
coordination with the Military Services and the Unified Commands.
D. Enlisted Members of the Stars and Stripes Editorial Staff. 1.
Enlisted military personnel shall be assigned to the Stars and
Stripes editorial staff, as reflected in the designated Unified
Command Joint Manpower Program (JMP) documents, on a nominative
basis. The Military Services shall nominate the most mature and
professional personnel for assignment to the Stars and Stripes
editorial staff at the required JMP grade- and experience-level,
coordinating with the Unified Commands and the Director of the AFIS.
Nominations shall be considered on a competitive basis by the S&S
commander/publisher and the Stars and Stripes editor. The S&S shall
request nominations 18 months before projected billet vacancies. The
Military Services shall forward nominations 6-10 months in advance
to the S&S, (ATTN: S&S Commander/Publisher). The Military Services
shall provide the S&S with reasonable overlap of military enlisted
members serving on the Stars and Stripes editorial staff.
2. The S&S commander/publisher shall coordinate with the Unified
Commands to ensure that there is an appropriate mixture of Military
Service billets and/or assignments represented in the S&S to
preserve the tradition of the Stars and Stripes as joint-Service
newspapers.
Appendix D to Part 246--Editorial Operations
A. General. 1. The Stars and Stripes shall serve the interests
of their overseas DoD readership, as commercial daily newspapers
serve their readers throughout the United States. However, as a
Government organization, the Stars and Stripes news staff may not
take an independent editorial position. The Stars and Stripes
editorial practices and policies shall be in accordance with the
highest standards of American journalism.
2. The Stars and Stripes editor, with the concurrence of the S&S
commander/publisher, and the Unified Command Commander-in-Chief
(CINC), as the owner of the newspaper, may establish a standard code
of personal and professional ethics and general editorial principles
similar to those developed at major metropolitan newspapers or by
professional journalists in organizations such as the Society of
Professional Journalists. Those codes usually stress the following:
a. Responsibility of the newspaper to fully inform its
readership.
b. Freedom of the press.
c. Commitment to personal and professional ethics.
d. Emphasis on content accuracy, objectivity, and fair
representation of all sides of an issue.
When developed, copies of the code and style guides shall be
provided to the Unified Command CINC and the Director of the
American Forces Information Service (AFIS).
3. The Stars and Stripes editor shall be responsible for
developing editorial procedures and, if required, a style guide that
mirrors daily U.S. commercial newspapers.
4. The editorial content of the Stars and Stripes shall be
governed by the general principles applicable to quality commercial
press as follows:
a. Presentation of News. A major purpose of the Stars and
Stripes is to provide news and information from varied sources. This
aids DoD members and their families stationed overseas to exercise
their democratic citizenship responsibilities.
b. Commercially-Contracted News, Features, and Opinion Columns.
The Stars and Stripes purchase (or contract for) and carry news
stories, features, syndicated columns, comic strips, and editorial
cartoons from commercial services or sources. Wire-service news,
information, and feature material may be edited in accordance with
source contracts and for space requirements. The Stars and Stripes
reflect the news of the day being carried in comparable U.S.
commercial daily newspapers. They should reflect different sides of
issues over a reasonable amount of time.
c. Staff-Generated Copy. In keeping with the standards
established for major daily commercial newspapers in the United
States, staff-generated news and features in the Stars and Stripes
shall be accurate, factual, impartial, and objective. News stories
and feature material shall distinguish between fact and opinion.
Every effort should be made to attribute quotations and facts to
identified sources. In the case of controversial or sensitive
stories, the Stars and stripes editor, or his or her designee, shall
ascertain the identity of confidential sources, as required by
normal journalistic practices that ensure that sources are credible.
The Stars and Stripes may use the normal range of journalistic
techniques including ``people-on-the-street'' interviews if that
technique does not constitute a political poll.
d. Political Campaign News. (1) The Stars and Stripes shall
publish coverage of the U.S. political campaigns from commercial
news sources. Presentation of such political campaign news shall be
made on an impartial, unbiased, and nonpartisan basis reflecting DoD
policies of non-endorsement of any specific candidate for an elected
office. Every effort should be made to ensure that the Stars and
Stripes reflect the full spectrum of campaign news being published
in the United States on national candidates and issues.
(2) The Stars and Stripes shall support the Federal Voting
Assistance Program by carrying factual information about
registration and voting laws.
e. The Stars and Stripes shall provide balance in commercial
syndicated columns. Since the Stars and Stripes may not take an
independent editorial position, a balanced selection of syndicated
opinion columns shall be published over a reasonable time period.
The presentation of syndicated editorial cartoons should reflect the
full spectrum of topical editorial cartoons being published
throughout the United States. The S&S commander/publisher shall
provide the Unified Commands annual assurance that the required
balance for syndicated opinion columns has been met.
B. Administrative. 1. The Stars and Stripes shall comply with
DoD Instruction 1100.13\1\ on polls, surveys, and straw votes. The
Stars and Stripes may not conduct a poll, a survey, exit polls, or a
straw vote on any political campaign. The Stars and Stripes may
publish polls, surveys, and/or straw votes furnished to the
newspaper through its contracted wire services. The Stars and
Stripes may not conduct lottery games.
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\1\Copies may be obtained, at cost, from the National Technical
Information Service, 5285 Port Royal Road, Springfield, VA 22161.
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2. The Stars and Stripes shall have the following disclaimer
placed in the masthead or at the extreme bottom of one of the
prominent pages, segregated from copy in a box:
This newspaper is authorized for publication by the Department
of Defense for members of the Military Services overseas. However,
the contents of the Stars and Stripes are unofficial, and are not to
be considered as the official views of, or endorsed by, the U.S.
Government, including the Department of Defense or the (name of the
appropriate Unified Command). As a DoD newspaper, the Stars and
Stripes may be distributed through official channels and use
appropriated funds for distribution to remote and isolated locations
where overseas DoD personnel are located.
The appearance of advertising in this publication, including
inserts or supplements, does not constitute endorsement by the
Department of Defense or the Stars and Stripes of the products or
services advertised.
Products or services advertised in this publication shall be
made available for purchase, use, or patronage without regard to
race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, marital status,
physical handicap, political affiliation or any other nonmerit
factor of the purchaser, user, or patron.
C. Editorial. 1. The Stars and Stripes news staffs are
authorized to gather and report news, good and bad, on the
Department of Defense and its subordinate commands. All reporting
necessarily requires some investigation and, as with journalists on
commercial newspapers, the Stars and Stripes news staff members have
the right and need to ask questions and expect response to fulfill
the S&S mission. However, the Stars and Stripes is not an authorized
investigative agency, such as military law enforcement agencies,
investigative bodies, or an Inspector General, and shall not
function in that capacity. As DoD employees, the Stars and Stripes
news staff members must adhere to the DoD personnel policies that
may not usually apply to journalists employed by commercial
newspapers and must comply with 32 CFR part 40 and, as applicable,
the Manual for Courts Martial, 1984.\2\
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\2\See footnote 1 to B.1. of this Appendix.
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a. Since most journalistic reporting is investigative by nature,
``investigative reporting,'' as such, is not banned. The Stars and
Stripes reporters have the same need to ask questions of sources,
and expect responses, as do commercial newspaper journalists. While
the Stars and Stripes staff cannot conduct independent
investigations that fall under the jurisdiction of various military
law enforcement or designated investigative agencies, the Stars and
Stripes may report on open or completed investigations by agencies
authorized to perform investigative functions. If the Stars and
Stripes employees note unlawful or criminal actions in their
performance of duty, they must report such incidents immediately to
the S&S commander/publisher or to their immediate supervisor, in
accordance with 32 CFR part 40, who shall also comply with 32 CFR
part 40 and, as applicable, DoD Directive 7050.1\3\ and DoD
Instruction 5240.4.\4\ If there is an authorized investigation, a
Stars and Stripes reporter or editor cannot protect a source as
confidential when the information may be required to complete the
investigation. Coverage of an investigation, from a news
perspective, should be based on case progress or the resolution
provided by the investigative agency if considered newsworthy by the
Stars and Stripes. The Stars and Stripes editorial procedures shall
not prohibit publishing news of independent investigations furnished
by commercial media and, therefore, in the public domain.
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\3\See footnote 1 to B.1. of this Appendix.
\4\See footnote 1 to B.1. of this Appendix.
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b. The Stars and Stripes staff may not knowingly place
classified information in Stars and Stripes staff-generated
material. That does not apply to public domain information
attributed to commercially contracted news, features, or opinion
columns.
2. The Stars and Stripes editorial staffs shall receive the same
treatment as commercial media.
a. The Stars and Stripes reporters shall have the same right to
ask questions, to gain help, to have access, and to attend
gatherings available to reporters from the commercial media.
Commanders or public affairs staffs may not use the U.S. Government
status of Stars and Stripes reporters to block the release of, or
access to, otherwise releasable news, information, or events. Under
the same circumstances, the Stars and Stripes reporters may not use
their U.S. Government status or credentials to gain special
treatment, access to restricted areas or gatherings, or other
advantages that are not given equally to civilian media.
b. In keeping with the ``Principles of Information'' in 32 CFR
part 375 governing release of information to commercial media, the
DoD Components are expected to make available timely and accurate
information so that the Stars and Stripes news staffs and readers
may assess and understand the facts about their military
organizations, the national defense, and defense strategy.
Consistent with statutory requirements, information shall be made
fully and readily available under the principles for the release of
information to the media issued by the Secretary of Defense. A
Government organization may not file a request for information
against another Government organization under 32 CFR part 285, which
implements the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) in the Department
of Defense, but it is the responsibility of all commands to honor
the DoD Principles of Information, particularly regarding the intent
of open access as described in 32 CFR part 285 when responding to
queries from Stars and Stripes reporters.
3. To meet organizational responsibilities, the Stars and
Stripes editor, the S&S commander/publisher, and the Stars and
Stripes staff members they select, should meet frequently with area
commanders and public affairs officers and staffs to confer, as
their counterparts in U.S. commercial daily newspapers do with local
government and community interest representatives.
4. When matters of interest to the Stars and Stripes readership
cut across the Unified Command component command responsibilities,
the Stars and Stripes editor may use ``special project reporting
teams'' to examine such concerns. Whether the areas of Stars and
Stripes interest are military exercises, fast-breaking news
affecting the entire Unified Command community, or policies that
require a greater-than-individual-reporter effort, the Stars and
Stripes editor, through the S&S commander/publisher, can gain help
by keeping the Unified Command and its component command public
affairs offices informed of the need for theater-wide assistance.
Such aid could help dispel morale-damaging rumors.
5. The Stars and Stripes shall conduct readership surveys at
least once every 3 years in the Unified Commands where the Stars and
Stripes are distributed. Such formal surveys shall be conducted in
accordance with DoD Instruction 1100.13. The S&S may make shorter
market surveys through its bookstore operations to determine
changing readership interests. The Stars and Stripes is also
encouraged to make frequent use of readership focus groups
throughout the Unified Command.
6. The Stars and Stripes may review commercial entertainment
where relevant and where it supports readership interest.
7. All bureau personnel and field reporters shall have Stars and
Stripes newsroom experience before being given independent
assignments. The Stars and Stripes military reporters may wear
military or civilian clothes at the discretion of the S&S commander/
publisher. If authorized by the S&S commander/publisher, Stars and
Stripes military members may be authorized a clothing allowance in
accordance with individual Service directives.
8. The Stars and Stripes are both authorized to maintain a
Washington, DC, bureau located with other correspondent bureaus in
the OASD (PA) Correspondents' Corridor. A desk will be provided for
each Stars and Stripes. The S&S shall select the most qualified
reporters possible for assignment to the bureau. A joint memorandum
of understanding on personnel support shall be established between
the two newspapers and approved by the Unified Commands, with a copy
provided to the Director of the AFIS.
Appendix E to Part 246--Stars and Stripes (S&S) Board of Directors
A. Organization and Management. 1. The S&S board of directors of
each Unified Command shall provide advice to the S&S management, and
recommend guidance to its Commander-in-Chief (CINC) on all business
operations. Attendance is at the direction of the Unified Command
CINC.
2. Each Unified Command CINC shall designate the chairman of its
S&S board of directors.
3. Each S&S board of directors shall include a member from the
Unified Command Offices of Public Affairs and the Comptroller, and
at least one member from each of the Unified Command Service
components. Members shall be appointed by the Unified Command CINC
for 2 years to ensure continuity. They shall be the best qualified
personnel available in business-related disciplines. Members should
be at the grade of 0-5, GS-12, or higher. Other than the Unified
Command and the S&S senior representatives, the S&S board members
should not be members of any other S&S forums or councils.
Representatives from the American Forces Information Service (AFIS)
and one S&S may attend the meetings of the other S&S board of
directors and have their observations included in the minutes, but
they are not voting members. Recommendations approved by the S&S
board of directors may be incorporated by the Unified Command CINC
into the Unified Command S&S instruction or directive, as
applicable.
4. The S&S board of directors should meet at least three times
each year. The minutes of each meeting shall be approved by the
Unified Command CINC. The approved S&S board recommendations shall
be incorporated, as permanent policy, into the Unified Command S&S
implementing instructions or directives. Where such recommendations
affect DoD policy, the Unified Commands shall ask the Director of
the AFIS for resolution. The S&S commander/publisher shall provide
sufficient documentation to the S&S board members between meetings
to inform them of on-going business operations and the execution of
financial actions.
B. Functions. 1. The S&S board of directors shall monitor
planning and execution of the S&S business activities.
2. The S&S board of directors shall aid the S&S commander/
publisher with evaluation of external factors that impact the S&S,
such as adverse conditions, as recommended by the S&S commander/
publisher, the S&S board of directors, or the Unified Command CINC.
3. Annually, the S&S commander/publisher shall provide a
financial plan that shall include a capital expenditure budget and a
2-year forecast for the S&S board of directors' evaluation and
recommendation to the Unified Command CINC. The S&S shall also
forecast and get approval for building and/or construction projects
through the S&S board of directors.
4. The S&S shall maintain a 5-year business strategic and
corporate plan that shall be forwarded to the S&S board of
directors. The Unified Commands shall forward the on-going strategic
and corporate plan to the Director of the AFIS for overall DoD
strategic goals.
PART 247--[AMENDED]
1. The authority citation for part 247 continues to read as
follows:
Authority: 10 U.S.C. 121 and 133.
Sec. 247.5 [Amended]
2. Section 247.5 is amended as follows:
a. Paragraph (b)(4), second sentence: After ``UC Commanders''
remove the remainder of the paragraph up to the period.
b. Paragraph (b)(6)(i): Remove ``(for S&S add ``unofficial'')'' and
``(add ``overseas'' in publications outside the United States)''.
c. Paragraph (d)(6): Remove ``(for S&S see enclosure 3)''.
Sec. 247.6 [Amended]
3. Section 247.6 is amended as follows:
a. Paragraph (b)(4): Remove the last sentence.
b. Paragraph (e)(2): Remove in its entirety and redesignate
paragraphs ``(e)(3) and (e)(4)'' as ``(e)(2) and (e)(3)''.
Appendix C to Part 247 [Removed] and Appendices D through F
[Redesignated as C through E]
4. Remove Appendix C to part 247 and redesignate Appendices D
through F as Appendices C through E.
Dated: April 18, 1994.
L.M. Bynum,
Alternate OSD Federal Register Liaison Officer, Department of Defense.
[FR Doc. 94-9621 Filed 4-21-94; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 5000-04-M
