Welcome to the website of the Defence and Security Media Advisory (DSMA) Committee
Editors want to publish or broadcast their story, but not unwittingly to put lives at risk or compromise national security. They will usually not publish or broadcast details which they are persuaded might bring risks of this kind. The value of the DSMA-Notices is that they set guidelines, agreed by the media and government, for…
None, except those of argument and persuasion.
No, it is voluntary. Even if the media seek the advice of the DSMA-Notice Secretary they are under no obligation to accept this advice, or to accede to his requests or proposals. The final decision on publishing or broadcasting something material rests with the editor.
DSMA-Notices are guidelines for editors, broadcasters, authors and publishers, agreed jointly by representatives of the media and government departments directly concerned with national security, about the type of information which should be protected for national security reasons. The DSMA-Notice Secretary is always available to the media and government to help resolve disagreement about what should…