US Propaganda is legal, authorized and in full bloom. The US Information and Educational Exchange Act of 1948 (Public Law 80-402), popularly referred to as the Smith–Mundt Act, was enacted after WWII and specifies with a degree of particularity the terms in which the United States government can engage global audiences, a procedure also known as the dissemination of propaganda. What was prohibited specifically under the statute was domestic propaganda circulation and propagation as we transitioned from WWII into a more refined and civilized Cold War worldview. Ahem. This was as to officially sanctioned propaganda (or truth) and not the more covert efforts such as was seen in such smash hits as Operation Mockingbird and other CIA efforts to massage and form journalistic truth and reportage.
But that changed. The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013 (section 1078 (a)) amended the US Information and Educational Exchange Act of 1948 and the Foreign Relations Authorization Act of 1987, allowing specifically for materials produced by the State Department and the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) to be released within U.S. borders for the Archivist of the United States. What does all this mean? Propaganda. US propaganda. Most Americans miss the potential harm that this inspires as that would involve awareness, vigilance and rudimentary fact-finding and research.
Then came this Orwellian information lockdown that our somnolent public missed yet again. On November 30, one week after the Washington Post launched its witch hunt against "Russian propaganda fake news," with but a mere 390 votes for, the House quietly passed "H.R. 6393, Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017 – a bill which deals with a number of intelligence-related issues, including inter alia Russian propaganda, or what the government calls propaganda, and hints at a potential crackdown on "offenders" and he now dread fake news. Keep in mind that this dovetailed with the usual idiots rolling out stories how Russian propaganda efforts helped spread said fake news during the elections and, it appears, somehow writer instrumental in securing a victory for Kremlin agent and Putin crony Donald Trump. Remember this WaPo whopper that later contained a retraction within a reiteration of the specious piece as it dialed back its referencing of the now discredited PropOrNot. These folks make Snopes seem authoritative by comparison. And one final word, it seems that some detractors of this thing called freedom of speech when it traverses certain barriers and limits is and should be susceptible to Espionage Act prosecution. As they say, you can’t make this up.
But that changed. The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013 (section 1078 (a)) amended the US Information and Educational Exchange Act of 1948 and the Foreign Relations Authorization Act of 1987, allowing specifically for materials produced by the State Department and the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) to be released within U.S. borders for the Archivist of the United States. What does all this mean? Propaganda. US propaganda. Most Americans miss the potential harm that this inspires as that would involve awareness, vigilance and rudimentary fact-finding and research.
Then came this Orwellian information lockdown that our somnolent public missed yet again. On November 30, one week after the Washington Post launched its witch hunt against "Russian propaganda fake news," with but a mere 390 votes for, the House quietly passed "H.R. 6393, Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017 – a bill which deals with a number of intelligence-related issues, including inter alia Russian propaganda, or what the government calls propaganda, and hints at a potential crackdown on "offenders" and he now dread fake news. Keep in mind that this dovetailed with the usual idiots rolling out stories how Russian propaganda efforts helped spread said fake news during the elections and, it appears, somehow writer instrumental in securing a victory for Kremlin agent and Putin crony Donald Trump. Remember this WaPo whopper that later contained a retraction within a reiteration of the specious piece as it dialed back its referencing of the now discredited PropOrNot. These folks make Snopes seem authoritative by comparison. And one final word, it seems that some detractors of this thing called freedom of speech when it traverses certain barriers and limits is and should be susceptible to Espionage Act prosecution. As they say, you can’t make this up.
