Scope.
This directive sets forth policy governing the release of public
information, which is defined as information in any form provided to
news and information media, especially information that has the
potential to generate significant media, or public interest or inquiry.
Examples include, but are not limited to, press releases, media
advisories, news features, and web postings. Not included under this
definition are scientific and technical reports, web postings designed
for technical or scientific interchange, and technical information
presented at professional meetings or in professional journals.
Applicability.
(a) This policy applies to NASA Headquarters, NASA Centers, and Component Facilities.
(b) In the event of any conflict between this policy and any other NASA
policy, directive, or regulation, this policy shall govern and supersede
any previous issuance or directive.
Principles.
(a) NASA, a scientific and technical agency, is committed to a culture
of openness with the media and public that values the free exchange of
ideas, data, and information as part of scientific and technical
inquiry. Scientific and technical information from or about Agency
programs and projects will be accurate and unfiltered.
(b) Consistent with NASA statutory responsibility, NASA will "provide
for the widest practicable and appropriate dissemination of information
concerning its activities and the results thereof." Release of public
information concerning NASA activities and the results of NASA
activities will be made promptly, factually, and completely.
(c) To ensure timely release of information, NASA will endeavor to
ensure cooperation and coordination among the Agency's scientific,
engineering, and public affairs communities.
(d) In keeping with the desire for a culture of openness, NASA employees
may, consistent with this policy, speak to the press and the public
about their work.
(e) This policy does not authorize or require disclosure of information
that is exempt from disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act (5
U.S.C. § 552) or otherwise restricted by statute, regulation, Executive
Order, or other Executive Branch policy or NASA policy (e.g., OMB
Circulars, NASA Policy Directives). Examples of information not
releasable under this policy include, without limitation, information
that is, or is marked as, classified information, procurement sensitive
information, information subject to the Privacy Act, other sensitive but
unclassified information, and information subject to privilege, such as
pre-decisional information or attorney-client communications.
Responsibilities.
(a) The Assistant Administrator for Public Affairs is responsible for
developing and administering an integrated Agency-wide communications
program, establishing Agency public affairs policies and priorities, and
coordinating and reviewing the performance of all Agency public affairs
activities. The Assistant Administrator will develop criteria to
identify which news releases and other types of public information will
be issued nationwide by NASA Headquarters. Decisions to release public
information nationwide by NASA Headquarters will be made by the
Assistant Administrator for Public Affairs or his/her designee.
(b) NASA's Mission Directorate Associate Administrators and Mission
Support Office heads have ultimate responsibility for the technical,
scientific, and programmatic accuracy of all information that is related
to their respective programs and released by NASA.
(c) Under the direction of the Assistant Administrator for Public
Affairs, public affairs officers assigned to Mission Directorates are
responsible for the timely and efficient coordination of public
information covering their respective programs. This coordination
includes review by appropriate Mission Directorate officials. It also
includes editing by public affairs staff to ensure that public
information products are well written and appropriate for the intended
audience. However, such editing shall not change scientific or technical
data, or the meaning of programmatic content.
(d) Center Public Affairs Directors are responsible for implementing
their portion of the Agency's communications program, adhering to Agency
policies, procedures, and priorities, and coordinating their activities
with Headquarters (and others where appropriate). They are responsible
for the quality of public information prepared by Center public affairs
officers. They also are responsible for the day-to-day production of
public information covering their respective Center activities, which
includes obtaining the necessary Center concurrences and coordinating,
as necessary, with the appropriate Headquarters public affairs officers.
(e) Center Directors have ultimate responsibility for the accuracy of
public information that does not require the concurrence of
Headquarters. (See "Public information coordination and concurrence,"
section (d).)
(f) All NASA employees are required to coordinate, in a timely manner,
with the appropriate public affairs officers prior to releasing
information that has the potential to generate significant media, or
public interest or inquiry.
(g) All NASA public affairs officers are required to notify the
appropriate Headquarters public affairs officers in a timely manner
about activities or events that have the potential to generate
significant media or public interest or inquiry.
(h) All NASA public affairs employees are expected to adhere to the following code of conduct:
(1) Be honest and accurate in all communications.
(2) Honor publication embargoes.
(3) Respond promptly to media requests and respect media deadlines.
(4) Act promptly to correct mistakes or erroneous information, either internally or externally.
(5) Promote the free flow of scientific and technical information.
(6) Protect non-public information.
(i) All NASA employees are responsible for adhering to plans (including
schedules) for activities established by public affairs offices and
senior management for the coordinated release of public information.
(j) All NASA-funded missions will have a public affairs plan, approved
by the Assistant Administrator for Public Affairs, which will be managed
by Headquarters and/or a designated NASA Center.
(k) Public affairs activities for NASA-funded missions will not be
managed by non-NASA institutions, unless authorized by the Assistant
Administrator for Public Affairs.
(l) The requirements of this directive do not apply to the Office of Inspector General regarding its activities.
Public information coordination and concurrence.
(a) General. All NASA employees involved in preparing and issuing NASA
public information are responsible for proper coordination among
Headquarters, Center, and Mission Directorate offices to include review
and clearance by appropriate officials prior to issuance. Such
coordination will be accomplished through procedures developed and
published by the NASA Assistant Administrator for Public Affairs.
(b) Coordination. To ensure timely release of public information,
Headquarters and Center public affairs officers are required to
coordinate to obtain review and clearance by appropriate officials, keep
each other informed of changes, delays, or cancellation of releases,
and provide advance notification of the actual release.
(c) All public information shall be coordinated through the appropriate
Headquarters offices, including review by the appropriate Mission
Directorate Associate Administrator and mission support office head, or
their designees, to ensure scientific, technical, and programmatic
accuracy, and review by the Assistant Administrator of Public Affairs or
his/her designee to ensure that public information products are well
written and appropriate for the intended audience.
(d) Centers may, however, without the full coordination of Headquarters,
issue public information that is institutional in nature, of local
interest, or has been deemed not to be a Headquarters release. (The
Assistant Administrator for Public Affairs or his/her designee will
determine which public information will be issued nationwide by NASA
Headquarters.) These releases must be coordinated through the
appropriate Center offices and approved by the Center Director and
Center Public Affairs Director. The Center Public Affairs Director is
required to provide proper notification to the NASA Office of Public
Affairs, Headquarters, prior to release. (The Assistant Administrator
for Public Affairs shall publish guidelines for the release of public
information that may be issued by Centers without clearance from
Headquarters' offices.)
(e) Dispute Resolution. Any dispute arising from a decision to proceed
or not proceed with the issuance of a news release or other type of
public information will be addressed and resolved by the Assistant
Administrator for Public Affairs with the appropriate Mission
Directorate Associate Administrator, mission support office head, Center
Director, and others, such as Center Public Affairs Directors, as
necessary. However, the appropriate Mission Directorate Associate
Administrator shall be the arbiter of disputes about the accuracy or
characterization of programmatic, technical, or scientific information.
Additional appeals may be made to the Chief of Strategic Communications
and to the Office of the Administrator. When requested by a Center
Public Affairs Director, an explanation of the resolution will be
provided in writing to all interested Agency parties.
Interviews.
(a) Only spokespersons designated by the Assistant Administrator for
Public Affairs, or his/her designee, are authorized to speak for the
Agency in an official capacity regarding NASA policy, programmatic, and
budget issues.
(b) In response to media interview requests, NASA will offer articulate
and knowledgeable spokespersons who can best serve the needs of the
media and the American public. However, journalists may have access to
the NASA officials they seek to interview, provided those NASA officials
agree to be interviewed.
(c) NASA employees may speak to the media and the public about their
work. When doing so, employees shall notify their immediate supervisor
and coordinate with their public affairs office in advance of interviews
whenever possible, or immediately thereafter, and are encouraged, to
the maximum extent practicable, to have a public affairs officer present
during interviews. If public affairs officers are present, their role
will be to attest to the content of the interview, support the
interviewee, and provide post-interview follow up with the media as
necessary.
(d) NASA, as an Agency, does not take a position on any scientific
conclusions. That is the role of the broad scientific community and the
nature of the scientific process. NASA scientists may draw conclusions
and may, consistent with this policy, communicate those conclusions to
the media. However, NASA employees who present personal views outside
their official area of expertise or responsibility must make clear that
they are presenting their individual views – not the views of the Agency
– and ask that they be sourced as such.
(e) Appropriated funds may only be used to support Agency missions and
objectives consistent with legislative or presidential direction.
Government funds shall not be used for media interviews or other
communication activities that go beyond the scope of Agency
responsibilities and/or an employee's official area of expertise or
responsibility.
(f) Media interviews will be "on-the-record" and attributable to the
person making the remarks, unless authorized to do otherwise by the
Assistant Administrator for Public Affairs or Center Public Affairs
Director, or their designees. Any NASA employee providing material to
the press will identify himself/herself as the source.
(g) Audio recordings may be made by NASA with consent of the interviewee.
(h) NASA employees are not required to speak to the media.
(i) Public information volunteered by a NASA official will not be
considered exclusive to any one media source and will be made available
to other sources, if requested.
Preventing release of classified information to the media.
(a) Release of classified information in any form (e.g., documents,
through interviews, audio/visual, etc.) to the news media is prohibited.
The disclosure of classified information to unauthorized individuals
may be cause for prosecution and/or disciplinary action against the NASA
employee involved. Ignorance of NASA policy and procedures regarding
classified information does not release a NASA employee from
responsibility for preventing any unauthorized release. See NPR 1600.1,
Chapter 5, Section 5.23 for internal NASA guidance on management of
classified information. For further guidance that applies to all
agencies, see Executive Order 12958, as amended, "Classified National
Security Information" and its implementing directive at 32 CFR Parts
2001 and 2004.
(b) Any attempt by news media representatives to obtain classified
information will be reported through the Headquarters Office of Public
Affairs or Installation Public Affairs Office to the Installation
Security Office and Office of Security and Program Protection.
(c) For classified operations and/or programs managed under the auspices
of a DD Form 254, "Contract Security Classification Specification," all
inquiries concerning this activity will be responded to by the
appropriate PAO official designated in Item 12 on the DD Form 254.
(d) For classified operations and/or information owned by other
Government agencies (e.g., DOD, DOE, etc.), all inquiries will be
referred to the appropriate Agency public affairs officer as established
in written agreements.
Preventing unauthorized release of sensitive but unclassified (SBU) information/material to the news media.
(a) All NASA SBU information requires accountability and approval for
release. Release of SBU information to unauthorized personnel is
prohibited. Unauthorized release of SBU information may result in
prosecution and/or disciplinary action. Ignorance of NASA policy and
procedures regarding SBU information does not release a NASA employee
from responsibility for unauthorized release. See NPR 1600.1, Chapter 5,
Section 5.24 for guidance on identification, marking, accountability
and release of NASA SBU information.
(b) Examples of SBU information include: proprietary information of
others provided to NASA under nondisclosure or confidentiality
agreement; source selection and bid and proposal information;
information subject to export control under the International Traffic in
Arms Regulations (ITAR) or the Export Administration Regulations (EAR);
information subject to the Privacy Act of 1974; predecisional materials
such as national space policy not yet publicly released; pending
reorganization plans or sensitive travel itineraries; and information
that could constitute an indicator of U.S. government intentions,
capabilities, operations, or activities or otherwise threaten operations
security.
(c) Upon request for access to information/material deemed SBU,
coordination must be made with the information/material owner to
determine if the information/material may be released. Other
organizations that play a part in SBU information identification,
accountability and release (e.g., General Counsel, External Relations,
Procurement, etc.) must be consulted for assistance and/or concurrence
prior to release.
(d) Requests for SBU information from other Government agencies must be
referred to the respective Agency public affairs officer.
Multimedia materials.
(a) NASA's multimedia material, from all sources, will be made available
to the information media, the public, and to all Agency Centers and
contractor installations utilizing contemporary delivery methods and
emerging digital technology.
(b) Centers will provide the media, the public, and as necessary, NASA Headquarters with:
(1) Selected prints and original or duplicate files of news-oriented
imagery and other digital multimedia material generated within their
respective areas.
(2) Selected video material in the highest quality format practical,
which, in the opinion of the installations, would be appropriate for use
as news feed material or features in pre-produced programs and other
presentations.
(3) Audio and/or video files of significant news developments and other events of historic or public interest.
(4) Interactive multimedia features that can be incorporated into the
Agency's Internet portal for use by internal and external audiences,
including the media and the general public.
News releases concerning international activities.
(a) Releases of information involving NASA activities, views, programs,
or projects involving another country or an international organization
require prior coordination and approval by the Headquarters offices of
External Relations and Public Affairs.
(b) NASA Centers and Headquarters offices will report all visits
proposed by representatives of foreign news media to the public affairs
officer for the Office of External Relations for appropriate handling
consistent with all NASA policies and procedures.