Originally Posted by
ShotOne
But the suspicion is that the system is also handy for burying bad news. How true is this?
One reason for something remaining Secret is the same lack of manpower, time, or incentive to downgrade once the need has passed. Take the Libyan adventure. Inevitably much will have been secret. Some may remain secret in case we have to do something similar any time soon. The rest is now well known and could be downgraded but probably hasn't.
Some years ago (a lot
) we were encouraged to challenge a classification and to seek downgrading. I challenged a particular document as it would have enabled the downgrading of a file. I was rebuffed by the SO2 at Command.
As I was acting under instruction of my stn cdr I kicked it upstairs. The SO2 was instructed to downgrade the document. He was not best pleased. It dd raise another issue though.
He sent out a signal authorising downgrading and consequently ALL the original recipients had to do extra work locating and downgrading their copies.
The Do Nothing Option remains the most attractive as it involved least work amongst hard pressed staffs. The active review and FOI process might please journalists looking for copy but does nothing to help staffs.