Is the DA-Notice Secretary not really just another official?
• He is indeed paid as a temporary civil servant, and accommodated and administratively supported by the Ministry of Defence. This, however, is for convenience only. In practice, he does not belong to the Ministry of Defence nor to any other department. He works for the Committee, and is similarly independent. He must work equally for the media and for officials. His high security clearances enable him to be privy to as many secret matters as is necessary for him to be able to make judgements in his work, in impartially interpreting the DA-Notices for the benefit of media and officials alike. He is also privy to as much unpublished media information as is thought necessary to enable him to represent media views to officials.
