Clearance, Escalation, and Responsibility Flow

Purpose

This document explains how PD decisions are made in practice at an Embassy: who initiates, who reviews, who clears, and when issues are escalated. It is designed to reduce friction, delays, and risk by making responsibility visible.

This is a process map, not a policy directive.

Guiding Principles

  • Responsibility is human-owned.
  • Clearance happens before production, not after.
  • Most products are routine and should not be over-escalated.
  • Escalation is a risk-management tool, not a punishment.

Step 1 — Product Initiation

Who initiates:

  • LES (most common)
  • FSO (for sensitive or front-office-driven items)

Trigger:

  • Event, visit, announcement, alert, or planned engagement

Required at initiation (one sentence each):

  • Audience
  • Purpose
  • Platform
  • Sensitivity level (routine / sensitive / elevated)

If these cannot be stated plainly, the product pauses here.

Step 2 — Policy Framing (Early)

Owner: FSO

Questions answered:

  • Is this based on existing cleared policy or language?
  • Does it introduce new facts, commitments, or timelines?
  • Which bureau/section owns the policy substance?

Outcome:

  • Greenlight with boundaries
  • Revise scope
  • Hold pending guidance

Step 3 — Production (Bounded)

Owner: LES

Boundaries:

  • Stay within cleared language
  • No improvisation on policy
  • Flag deviations immediately

Note: Filming is not publication, but publication risk begins here.

Step 4 — Pre-Publication Review

Reviewer: FSO (or delegated authority)

Review lens:

  • Meaning preserved
  • Clip survivability
  • Platform risk
  • Audience collision

Decision options:

  • Approve
  • Revise
  • Escalate

Step 5 — Escalation (If Needed)

Escalate when:

  • New policy is implied
  • Commitments could be inferred
  • Issue is politically sensitive
  • Washington guidance is required

Escalation path:

  • Section Chief
  • Front Office
  • Regional Bureau / Washington

Escalation should be documented, time-bound, and specific.

Step 6 — Publication

Owner: LES (execution)

Requirements:

  • Approved final version
  • Captions and accessibility met
  • Platform-appropriate context

Step 7 — Post-Publication Review (Optional but Recommended)

Purpose: Learning, not blame

Questions:

  • Did the product behave as expected?
  • Any misinterpretation?
  • What should change next time?

Common Failure Modes This Flow Prevents

  • Filming before clearance
  • Over-escalation of routine items
  • Silence due to uncertainty
  • Post-hoc Washington cleanup

Key Takeaway

Good PD decision-making is predictable, visible, and bounded. When roles are clear, speed and safety coexist.

Companion documents: PD Orientation Brief; Video & Social Checklists; Supervisor Guidance (separate).