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(U) Write Right: Still More on the Traffic Fairy
FROM:
of the Reporting Board (S12R)
Run Date: 12/19/2005
(U//FOUO) We had no idea that the Traffic Fairy was a bane on so
many levels. The August column , which warned against including
extraneous information in a report, brought e-mails informing us
that the opposite problem exists: the assumption that one piece of
traffic equals one report, even when the same event or situation is
dealt with in several pieces of intercept. Several senior reporters
described their efforts to overcome this delusion in their
workcenters.
(U) There appear to be two reasons for this phenomenon: the
bean-counting mentality, and lack of organizational writing skills.
An increase in reporting is a Good Thing, right? Higher numbers in
the periodic statistics impress management when it comes to
rewards, and if the numbers are presented without comment, or
are not examined in depth, the 1 = 1 mentality is reinforced to the
detriment of the ability to integrate related material in one piece.
(U//FOUO) Never mind that it is a disservice to your customer to
make them read half a dozen reports on the same situation or
event to get a complete picture. If it's not time-sensitive, hold onto
it while you search for related, corroborative material, and
integrate that information to optimize the presentation of the
situation. Your customer will thank you.
SERIES:
(U) Write Right '05
1. Write Right : Too
Much Redundancy is
Redundant
2. Write Right -SIGINT Myths: The
Traffic Fairy
3. Write Right : There
Is No Index of
Forbidden Words
4. Write Right :
Avoiding SIGINTisms
5. Write Right : A Note
on Validity Wording
6. Write Right : Brevity
Can Impede Clarity
(or, A Capital
Situation)
7. Write Right :
Opening the Traffic
Fairy's Packages
8. Write Right :
Management Theory
Applied to Reporting
9. Write Right : Give
the 'Key Points' Style
a Try
10. Write Right : Still
More on the Traffic
Fairy
"(U//FOUO) SIDtoday articles may not be republished or reposted outside NSANet
without the consent of S0121 (DL sid_comms)."
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DERIVED FROM: NSA/CSSM 1-52, DATED 08 JAN 2007 DECLASSIFY ON: 20320108