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(U) Write Right: The Paperless Society
FROM:
of the Reporting Board (S12)
Run Date: 04/27/2006
(U) A recent request to settle a reporting format disagreement was
accompanied by the information that a working aid from 1998
differed from one on the same topic from 2005. We confess to
being packrats ourselves, but we were very surprised that
someone of our persuasion would have overlooked the standard
notice on the newer document that "this version contains all
updates."
(U) This is a somewhat extreme case, but similar requests come in
often enough (see Reporting Forum issue RF-003-05 , on relying
on outdated guidance) that a plea to reporters to consider throwing
out all those old hard-copy policy and guidance memos seems in
order.
(U) Not all of them, of course; we agree with the cynic who said
that the paperless office was about as likely as the paperless
restroom. Some documents are classics of their kind, as anyone
who has a copy, hard or soft, of the old B Group Reporting
Guidelines from the '90s knows. It's one of the best and most
succinct summaries of principles of reporting around, and is being
reviewed for updating of details before being posted on The
Reporting Page.
(U) Other documents such as hard-copy memos contain
information that can be extremely useful in tracing the line of
reasoning that led to a particular decision or directive, or are handy
references when disagreements arise about procedures ("we used
to do just the opposite, what happened?"). Just make sure you
don't cite outdated guidance. The most up-to-date information
on reporting policy , as on personnel, training, IT support, etc.,
is on NSA WebWorld. Feel free to print copies for your own use
(we too find it hard to read half a dozen screen windows at once),
but check frequently to make sure you have the latest information.
SERIES:
(U) Write Right '06
1. Write Right : Grab
Bag
2. Write Right :
Frequently Asked
Question: Where Do
I Go for Help With
USSID SP0018
Issues?
3. Write Right : The
Style Manual vs.
USSID 300 -- er,
USSID CR1400
4. Write Right : The
Paperless Society
5. Write Right : Is That
Collateral, or Is It a
Comment?
6. Write Right : What's
a URS Center?
7. Write Right : Caveat
Scrutator (Or, 'But I
Saw It on the
Internet!')
8. Write Right : Seven
Things Not To Do in a
SIGINT Report
9. Write Right :
Breaking an Old
Reporter's Heart
10. Write Right : Where
Does It Say I Can't?
11. Write Right : Urban
Myths of SIGINT: 'I
Can Just Mark It
ORCON'
12. Write Right : Loaded
Words: Don't
Politicize Reports
"(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