The Ministry of Defence is to review rules allowing personnel to sell stories to the media following the row over the Navy crew held by Iran.
Second Sea Lord Vice Admiral Adrian Johns said a review is under way across the armed forces, because the current regulations are outdated.
It comes after two of the 15-strong Navy crew held in Iran sold stories.
Leading Seaman Faye Turney sold her story to ITV1's Trevor Macdonald and the Sun newspaper.
Some of the reported six-figure sum for the interview with Leading Seaman Turney will go to navy families.
Relatives of soldiers killed in Iraq have criticised the decision to allow the crew to sell their stories.
A case of closing the stable door after the horses have bolted? Well, I suppose that they felt that they had to do something. An internal review will put the problem off until criticism dies down. But it does not resolve it. Wise words this morning from Peter Preston in The Guardian:
We're used to politicians writing their tell-all life stories and selling the rights to Fleet Street. We're increasingly used to Sir Humphreys, top cops and military brass doing the same. Why raise a fuss when a handful of ordinary sailors get caught in a headline horror and enjoy a chance of media payback? Why operate one wonky rule for the big and powerful and another for those who, impotently, had a very nasty turn?
Yet, when you've made all the egalitarian arguments available, there is still something rancid about this particular turn of the shekel screw. Did the famous 15 do anything remotely heroic, or even interesting? No: they sat there in their boat, allowed themselves to be captured, gave a variety of forced statements to camera and showed why Britain's most famous old cigarette brand was called Senior Service...
Is it fair game now for every embattled sergeant on the Basra road to sell his saga of personal bravery under fire? Is it fair game for the third major on the left to tell the Sunday Bugle what Prince Harry had for mess breakfast, and if he turned as white as the porridge after another wild night out? Is anything that happens of interest (and monetary value) to soldiers, sailors, airmen or policeman now fodder for a cheque?
I agree that there have to be some controls but nobody, I hope, wants all military personnel to be barred from ever talking to the media. But how to draw up rules which eliminate or reduce the rancid and the frivolous while retaining reasonable access by the media to the armed forces?
Meanwhile, we are obliged to observe the nauseating hypocrisy of the tabloids...
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