Unfortunately it's sad that what Paul voice's is all too true when it comes to news or magazine articles. Writers get a $5 VIP tour, take notes and have NO clue what any of that meant. So off to Goggle or some other source to fill in the memory blanks. After all to most one submarine is pretty much like any other.
Paul and others, maybe you should think of two things. One is to prepare a standard news magazine article that you would like printed. Remember that newspapers and magazines have space issues and will allow only so many inches of column space to articles. Feature articles get more space. Top stories take away space. So your article should be one that can be trimmed to an acceptable level. Tell your reporter and then take them on their tours.
The other thing is when asked for a special tour because someone wants to do an article agree with conditions that say you must agree to the final printed story. You need to review and make comments before they print their stories. Many people do this in other areas and it is a way of controlling the message.
Final word - you cannot be too technical. Their readers will be average people who as you know do not understand the workings of a submarine. Tell a story, keep it simple, and make it interesting.
