LONDON — The Ministry of Defence has introduced new guidelines to prevent military personnel talking about their experiences as members of the Armed Forces. Soldiers, sailors and air force members will be prevented from blogging, taking part in surveys, speaking in public or posting on bulletin boards, according to The Guardian. They will also be barred from playing multi-player computer games and sending text messages, photographs and audio or video material without permission if they relate to defence matters. The guidelines say ‘all such communication must help to maintain and, where possible, enhance the reputation of defence’, the paper reported. They come after the row earlier this year about two members of the Royal Navy selling their stories to the media after being held captive in Iran. Receiving money for interviews, conferences and books which draw on official defence experience has now been banned. The rules apparently also apply to Territorial Army members and cadets when they are on duty, as well as to civil servants working for the MoD. Simon McDowell, the MoD’s director general of media communications, told the Guardian: ‘We are trying to give straightforward, clear guidance that is up […]