(What Gets Produced, How, and With What Controls)

This section deliberately collapses formats.
The goal is not to create separate rulebooks for video, social, or press, but to establish a single production logic that scales across formats.

4.1 The Core Insight

All PD products—whether a tweet, a press statement, or a video—move through the same three phases:

  1. Pre-production (thinking, authority, purpose)
  2. Production (execution)
  3. Post-production (clearance, publication, archiving, assessment)

Most failures occur because teams over-focus on production and under-invest in the other two.

4.2 Unified Pre-Production Checklist

(Applies to: video, photos, social posts, press products, public statements)

This phase answers: Should we make this at all?

A. Purpose & Audience

  • Who is the primary audience?
  • Who is the secondary audience (media, government, adversarial actors)?
  • What is the single purpose of this product?
    • Inform
    • Explain
    • Contextualize
    • Signal presence
  • What misunderstanding could arise if this is misread?

B. Policy & Authority

  • Which policy pillar does this map to?
  • Is there cleared language we must use?
  • If not, what source documents are we relying on?
  • Who owns clearance authority (Embassy / Bureau / Washington)?
  • What is the risk if this is wrong?

C. Product Definition

  • What kind of product is this?
    • Press statement
    • Social amplification
    • Visual documentation
    • Explanatory content
  • Where will it live?
    • Website
    • Facebook
    • X
    • YouTube
  • How long should it remain relevant?

D. Practical Constraints

  • Timeline (hard vs. soft deadline)
  • Staffing (who drafts, who clears, who posts)
  • Accessibility needs (captions, alt text)
  • Archiving requirements

If any of these cannot be answered, stop here.

4.3 Unified Production Checklist

(This phase answers: Are we executing correctly?)

A. Content Discipline

  • Language is factual, not speculative
  • Tone matches product type (press ≠ social ≠ cultural)
  • No unnecessary adjectives or adverbs
  • No implied promises or commitments

B. Visual / Audio Standards (for photo & video)

  • Subject is clearly identified
  • Framing is stable and intentional
  • Audio is intelligible (no background dominance)
  • Lighting is adequate and neutral
  • No unintended symbols, signage, or bystanders

C. Platform Fit

  • Length appropriate to platform
  • Caption explains why this matters, not just what happened
  • Hashtags limited and purposeful
  • No emojis unless explicitly approved for platform norms

D. On-Camera / Quoted Individuals

  • Subjects understand they are being recorded
  • Statements are consistent with cleared language
  • No improvisation on policy points

4.4 Unified Post-Production Checklist

(This phase answers: What happens after it goes live?)

A. Clearance & Publication

  • Final version cleared (documented)
  • Correct attribution applied
  • Links verified
  • Captions and accessibility features complete

B. Archiving

  • Product saved in official repository
  • Date, platform, and clearance noted
  • Source materials retained

C. Monitoring & Response

  • Initial audience reaction observed
  • Media pickup tracked (if relevant)
  • No engagement with hostile or bad-faith actors
  • Escalation pathway identified if needed

D. After-Action Reflection (Lightweight)

  • Did it meet its purpose?
  • Was the audience response as expected?
  • Any lessons for future products?

This is not evaluation theater—it is institutional memory.

4.5 Product-Specific Notes (Additive, Not Separate)

Video

  • Requires the highest pre-production rigor
  • Clearance must occur before filming, not after
  • Captions are mandatory, not optional

Social Media

  • Speed does not override accuracy
  • Silence is preferable to speculative posting
  • Comments are not obligations

Press Products

  • Attribution rules govern everything
  • “No comment” is a valid response
  • Never freelance explanations

4.6 What This Unified System Replaces

This checklist intentionally replaces:

  • Separate “video SOPs”
  • Platform-by-platform rulebooks
  • Informal institutional memory
  • Personality-driven decision making

It makes process explicit, so judgment is exercised deliberately.

4.7 Why This Matters

For PD staff:

  • Reduces anxiety under pressure
  • Protects against inadvertent policy errors
  • Clarifies when not to act

For leadership:

  • Improves consistency
  • Lowers reputational risk
  • Creates auditable decision trails

For the institution:

  • Shifts PD from reactive production to governed communication