Training: Roles & Responsibilities for Video and Social Media

A role-explicit operating model:
FSO vs. LES responsibilities across pre-production, production, post-production, and publication
— written so it can be used as training, supervision guidance, and accountability protection.

This is where most real-world friction lives, and where good content systems usually fail.

(FSO / LES / Shared Accountability Model)

Applies to:

• External-facing video
• Social media posts
• Embassy websites
• Public diplomacy products

Design goal:
Prevent:

• role confusion,
• clearance bottlenecks,
• “why didn’t anyone catch this?” moments,
• and retroactive blame.

This is not about hierarchy.
It is about decision clarity.

I. Core Principle (State this up front in training)

LES execute content.
FSOs own policy risk.
Clearance does not equal authorship.

If this is not explicit, everything downstream degrades.

II. Responsibility Matrix (At a Glance)

III. PRE-PRODUCTION RESPONSIBILITIES

(This is where 70% of problems are preventable)

LES Responsibilities

• Draft the Pre-Production Planning Brief
• Identify:
  • audience,
  • platform,
  • message,
  • visual needs
• Flag:
  • uncertainty,
  • ambiguous policy areas,
  • sensitive terms

LES should never be expected to infer policy limits alone.

FSO Responsibilities

• Confirm:
  • policy pillar alignment,
  • claim / non-claim boundaries,
  • whether the product should exist at all
• Identify:
  • required clearances,
  • reference documents,
  • red-line risks
• Decide:
  • proceed / revise / stop

FSOs own the “why” and the “whether.”

Shared (Non-Delegable)

• Agreement on:
  • what the product does not say,
  • shelf life,
  • reusability risk.

IV. PRODUCTION RESPONSIBILITIES

(Filming, scripting, interviews, events)

LES Responsibilities

• Execute filming or drafting as planned
• Ensure:
  • audio clarity,
  • readable visuals,
  • accessibility (captions, framing)
• Keep content inside the approved scope

LES do not improvise policy language on camera.

FSO Responsibilities

• Intervene early if:
  • interviews drift,
  • visuals imply commitments,
  • language escalates beyond sources
• Re-anchor messaging in real time if needed

FSOs should not wait until post-production to notice risk.

Shared

• Accuracy of names, dates, locations
• Consent/releases where required

V. POST-PRODUCTION RESPONSIBILITIES

(The most misunderstood phase)

LES Responsibilities

• Edit for:
  • clarity,
  • brevity,
  • platform fit
• Draft captions using Plain English rules
• Ensure product passes:
  • meaning-without-sound test,
  • one-sentence summary test

LES are responsible for technical and linguistic quality.

FSO Responsibilities

• Clear:
  • policy accuracy,
  • claims and implications,
  • tone appropriateness
• Explicitly confirm:
  • “This can be published as written.”

Clearance means content approval, not stylistic perfection.

Shared

• Final review against:
  • Pre-Production Brief,
  • Checklists,
  • Claim / Non-Claim discipline.

VI. PUBLICATION & AFTER-ACTION RESPONSIBILITIES

LES Responsibilities

• Publish to approved channels
• Archive:
  • final product,
  • captions,
  • clearance record
• Monitor comments for:
  • factual confusion,
  • technical issues

LES do not respond substantively to policy questions unless authorized.

FSO Responsibilities

• Own:
  • official responses,
  • corrections,
  • takedown decisions if needed
• Decide whether follow-up messaging is required

Shared

• If something goes wrong:
  • fix it quickly,
  • document the cause,
  • update the checklist—not the blame.

VII. What This Enables (Institutionally)

This role clarity:

• protects LES from policy liability,
• protects FSOs from operational blind spots,
• shortens clearance cycles,
• improves trust across teams,
• and creates a defensible audit trail.

Most importantly:

It makes “Plain English” enforceable as a system, not a preference.