FBIS-BBC PROPOSED SOURCELINE PRINCIPLES - GENERAL RULES LISTED IN 31 MARCH LETTER

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP92-00053R000300430016-8
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 7
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 14, 2012
• Sequence Number: 16
• Content Type: MISC

Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/08/14: CIA-RDP92-00053R000300430016-8
i r C-V_110
FBIS-BBC PROPOSED SOURCELINE PRINCIPLES - GENERAL RULES LISTED IN
31 MARCH LETTER
I. Basic Principles
1. A sourceline should contain no information that is not
available from monitoring.
(Comment: The principle is sound, but grounds for implementing
it are vague. in his "clarifying" letter, explains that
"monitoring" includes technical evidence, official schedules and
other publications, correspondence and observations "that can be
verified." Our initial reaction to this is: what constitutes
verification and can this issue be a future bone of contention
between the two parties. BBC tends to favor the simple approach
that the sourceline should reflect the announced beam and audience,
but on occasion does modify sourcelines to reflect refinements
available from technical observations and other sources of infor-
mation. FBIS tends to weigh all the evidence in hand against the
station announcement. If this evidence conflicts with the announce-
ments, we settle for a sourceline which reflects reality. FBIS,
as the recognized authority in its field, believes it has a respon-
sibility to consumers to provide the most accurate sourceline possible
based on announced audience, technical observations, and commonsense.)
(Recommendation: The Headquarters Working Group should review
both approaches and determine which one is the most practical.)
STAT
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2. Station identification within the sourcelines should use
no more words than are needed for maximum desirable precision.
(Comment: We fully support this principle. But we find that
BBC often feels more words are needed for precision than we do.
Since both sides agree with the principle, future interpretation
is where the problems will lie. We accept this fact and must live
with it.)
3. Sourcelines should not reflect distinctions such as
'official," "semi-official," and "nonofficial" as applying to
sourcelines.
(Comment: This is a reversal (which we were totally unaware
was coming) of positions agreed upon in all earlier correspondence.
FBIS negotiators asked for a definition of these terms, which were
supplied in WA663 of 14 October 1975. We heard nothing further
on this until the 31 March letter which stated that the BBC rejected
this position and that the FBIS negotiators agreed with the BBC.
FBIS and BBC have long distinguished official broadcasts from
private and semi-official ones through sourcelines. Now BBC wants
to include "domestic" in all domestic broadcast sourcelines. This
will have virtually no impact on BBC, since its coverage is almost
exclusively devoted to national radios. The majority of semi-
official and private stations fall under FBIS coverage.)
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(Recommendation: The working group must review the FBIS
position of distinguishing between the different forms of broad-
casts and determine if it is sound. If it is, is there some other
way we can differentiate between these broadcasts without relying
on "domestic" and "external" to imply national authority.)
II. General Rules
1. The word "service" shall be eliminated from all sourcelines.
(Comment: Previously agreed upon. No problems here. This was
a concesssion on part of FBIS.)
2. The word "domestic" shall be used for broadcasts intended
for a domestic audience which is not specified or confined to a
particular region; either organization will include the target in
the sourceline of domestic broadcasts intended for a specific audience
or region, instead of "domestic," if it thinks it is useful to do,.
so or if asked to do so by the other.
(Comment: This rule has been rephrased and use of the word
"domestic" has been rejected to designate official broadcasts.
This aspect of the rule has been discussed under the third basic
principle section above. The second part of the rule represents
agreement to disagree. I explains in his 31 March letter
that it was rephrased from the original proposal "to allow either
STAT
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party the option to include or eliminate the destination (when
given) as it chooses." The rephrasing, he adds, also seeks to
expand the principle to encompass regional sourcelines. We have
no problem with the agreement to disagree on this. But since all
parties have agreed on this interpretation, we are puzzled by the
inclusion in this version of the phrase "or if asked to do so by
the other." 0 indicates they are just words that do not change
the meaning of the rule or principle. If so, why were they added.
I think we will need further clarification as to intent of additional
phrase, plus how binding it might be and extent to which it would
be employed.)
(Recommendation: The working group discussed both aspects
of this rule, arriving at FBIS position on definition of an 'official"
domestic sourceljne and determining whether clarification is required
on rephrasing of the second part.)
3. The phrase "domestic and external" shall be used for any
transmission which can be accurately determined to be intended for
both domestic and external audiences.
(Comment: We have agreed on this, with FBIS making a concession
to BBC here. But we may have a problem in listing sourcelines for
those services which broadcast to those audiences separately as well
as simultaneously during the day. We may have to seek clarification
from BBC on this point.)
STAT
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4. The word "external" shall be substituted for all phrases
now used to indicate transmissions not intended for a domestic
audience nor specifically targeted.
(Comment: We agreed to this rule, provided it was clear it
applied to official external casts. BBC has ruled out this distinc-
tion. We must determine the FBIS position on basis of our decision
on future designations of broadcasts.)
(Recommendation: The working group must study this rule as
part of the overall review of our position on designating the
source of authority behind each broadcast.)
5. In the case of broadcasts for named targets outside the
country in which the radio is located either organization will
include the target instead of the word "external" if it thinks
it useful to do so or if asked to do so by the other.
(Comment: This is another case of agreeing to disagree. But
inclusion of phrase
if asked to do so by the other" must be
defined.)
(Recommendation: The working group should consider this rule
in conjunction with the study on rule two.)
6. When a sourceline is to include destination the word "to"
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and not "for" should be used in description of destination.
(Comment: We are in agreement. This is BBC concession to
FBIS.)
7. The field bureaus will include the name of the country as
the first word in sourcelines to which it can be usefully added.
(Comment: Apart from PRC regional sourcelines which list the
province, FBIS only includes the country in one other sourceline:
Santiago Chile to distinguish between Santiago Cuba. We agreed to
BBC submitting a list of countries they would like to apply this
rule to, but have not yet received that list (unless the examples
attached to the 31 March letter represent that list). Since FBIS
policy has always been to include the broadcast city as the first
element of the sourceline, we are puzzled why BBC chose to deviate
from this procedure and list the country first. We would prefer
to list the country second.)
8. Either organization will include the target instead of the
word "external" in sourcelines for press agencies if it thinks it is
useful to do so or if asked to do so by the other.
(Comment: This is another agree to disagree situation. FBIS
has not included destinations in press agency sourcelines for many
years. Rephrasing makes it vague as to whether this is still optional
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or binding if a request is made. This rule must be considered with
rules two and five, since situations are identical.)
9. For what are no called "clandestine" radios, the phrase
d
"location undisclosed shall be used instead of "clandestine" and
it shall be placed at the beginning of the sourceline.
(Comment: We are in disagreement on this one. We have agreed
to placing "clandestine" first in the sourceline, but cannot accept
"location undisclosed" as a suitable substitute. The London group
says-so rmuch soul-searching it cannot accept clandestine.
(Recommendation: Our working group must review the FBIS
position on the term "clandestine." We should seek the best
possible term. If clandestine is still the best term, we must
see if this rule can be placed in the agree to disagree category.)
The London working group was unable to come up with a jointly
agreed principle to cover telegraf services other than news agencies.
This still leaves maritime and diplomatic services. They would
like our views on this subject.
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