Democrat Defends “Propaganda” Bill - BuzzFeed

[WillyT]

Democrat Defends “Propaganda” Bill
Smith stands behind the amendment allowing domestic information campaigns. The argument: electoral accountability will be enough to safeguard against the spread of propaganda.
Rebecca Elliot - BuzzFeed
May 22, 2012 3:13pm EDT

<snip>

Rep. Adam Smith from Washington championed the defense bill amendment that will “strike the current ban on domestic dissemination” of propaganda in an interview with Salon's Glenn Greenwald earlier today.

Repealing the Smith-Mundt Act of 1948 is "not about trying to influence domestic audiences," Smith emphaized. Rather, he intends the amendment to free up current restrictions placed on foreign information campaigns.

"The internet is where Al Qaeda and a lot of violent extremist groups do a ton of work. Our ability to counter what they’re doing in terms of foreign areas like Afghanistan and Somalia was limited by interpretations of the Smith-Mundt Act," Smith said.

Responding to concerns that the amendment will allow information campaigns to be aimed at domestic audiences, Smith assured that if the amendment passes, the State Department and Broadcasting Board of Governors will still be unable to distribute propaganda originally intended for U.S. citizens. However, according to Smith, the strongest protection against the distribution of propaganda is the democratic process, not a bill or amendment.

"The primary block on the ability of the US government to wrongly and unfairly propagandize the American population is the American population saying ‘Don’t do that, or we’ll vote out of office the people who do it,’" Smith said.

<snip>

Link: http://www.buzzfeed.com/rebeccaelliott/democrat-defends-propaganda-bill

[Eric J in MN]

1. Neither foreign audiences nor domestic audiences should be subject to sockpuppetry.

US officials are welcome to go on news shows in Arab countries and explain their positions. They do so under existing law.

I don't want the CIA paying newspapers to publish phony news articles supposedly by the newspaper's staff.

[Angry Dragon]

2. Mr Smith should not be in Washington if that is the way he thinks

[WillyT]

3. That's The Way He Thinks... Link Here:

Link: http://www.democraticunderground.com/1002706126

[msongs]

4. smith = scum. the role of politicians is to do the people's will not make us UNDO their actions nt

[arcane1]

5. "originally intended" ... "wrongly and unfairly" ... a lot of weasel words there

Left unsaid is how exactly the American population can say "Don’t do that, or we’ll vote out of office the people who do it" when they would have no way of knowing that what they are seeing is propaganda.


The Smith-Mundt Act of 1948 didn't stop us from using propaganda to overthrow the prime minister of Iran, did it?

We seemed to have a fairly decent propaganda effort in Iraq and Afghanistan. I doubt they are the only two countries in that region who have seen those efforts.

Hell, I'm sure there were uses of propaganda in South America that we don't even know about!

He can't seriously be thinking the People will be a firewall against this. Hell, we suffer from too much propaganda already!!!