What are the benefits of the DA-Notice system?
• It provides a set of guidelines, agreed by representatives of both government departments and of the media, which inform editors, broadcasters, authors, publishers and others about what needs to be protected, and provide the basis for prior negotiation when there is disagreement about what should be published; • It also provides a negotiator (the DA-Notice Secretary) who is available to both sides 365 days a year; • Negotiation normally provides a solution acceptable to both sides, ie. the story goes out with only a few genuinely secret details removed; • It is much quicker, cheaper and more satisfactory than going to litigation, which also tends to block a whole story or source rather than just a few details.
