The British Ministry of Defence is cracking down on its troops' ability to communicate with the public, with new guidelines barring them from a host of activities, including blogging. Soldiers, sailors and airforce personnel will not be able to blog, take part in surveys, speak in public, post on bulletin boards, play in multi-player computer games or send text messages or photographs without the permission of a superior if the information they use concerns matters of defence, acording to a report in the Guardian.
They also cannot release video, still images or audio - material which has previously led to investigations into the abuse of Iraqis, acording to the report. Instead, the guidelines state that "all such communication must help to maintain and, where possible, enhance the reputation of defence".
The ministry document, circulated last week, covers "all public speaking, writing or other communications, including via the internet and other sharing technologies, on issues arising from an individual's official business or experience, whether on-duty, off-duty or in spare time".
The rules, the Guardian said, have provoked consternation among the ranks, with human rights lawyers saying that they could be in contravention of Article 10 of the Human Rights Act, which allows for freedom of expression. The rules apply not only to full-time forces but to members of the Territorial Army and cadets whilst on duty, as well as defence ministry civil servants.
BBC News defence correspondent Paul Wood said that officials are worried about the constitutional implications of members of the armed forces declaring their views on policy or matters of controversy. But they also frankly admit that they are losing the battle in the media on several key issues, a BBC report said.
The rules, circulated by the Directorate of Communication Planning, come in the wake of the row earlier this year about two members of the Royal Navy selling their stories to the media after being held captive in Iran, the Independent reported. A report by Tony Hall, the former head of news at the BBC, probed the defence ministry's handling of the media during the fiasco and concluded that it had been guilty of a "collective failure of judgement" over the affair.
The US Government placed similar restrictions on its personnel in Iraq this year.
