“I meant Poles.”
--Former DC mayor Marion Barry, emending his statement that in the United States, with "racial tensions since it was founded," "The Irish caught hell, the Jews caught hell, the Polacks caught hell"; cited in Paul Schwartzman, "Marion Barry commits new gaffe while apologizing to Asians," Washington Post; Barry image (l) from article
SCHOLARLY RESOURCES
Public Diplomacy: Books, Articles, Websites #61 - mountainrunner.us: Courtesy of Bruce Gregory, Professor of Media and Public Affairs, here is the latest update on resources that may be of general interest for teachers, students, and practitioners of public diplomacy and related courses and activities. Suggestions for future updates are welcome.
PUBLIC DIPLOMACY
Dial back the outrage: Repealing a ban on showing international broadcasts is not the same as allowing propaganda - Emily T. Metzgar, Columbia Journalism Review: "Smith-Mundt, formally known as the US Information and Educational Exchange Act of 1948 (Public Law 80-402), is the legislation governing US public diplomacy efforts, enabling ‘the Government of the United States to promote a better understanding of the United States in other countries, and to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries.’ It authorized the Department of State to create and distribute ‘information about the
It’s inaccurate because congressional debate from 1948 makes no mention of concerns about international broadcast content having a negative effect on the American population. Concern about propaganda or leakage of government messages into the domestic media environment were imposed by later amendments. Still, it’s not surprising that the recent introduction of legislation to amend the Smith-Mundt Act and repeal the domestic dissemination ban on US international broadcast content has caused worried coverage about giving the government license to subject its own citizens to propaganda. A headline on BuzzFeed last week, for example, declared, ‘Congressmen Seek To Lift Propaganda Ban.’ A leading foreign policy blogger declared the change would ‘allow the Department of Defense to subject the
Smith-Mundt "Modernization" - William P. Kiehl, Public Diplomacy Council: "There has been of late a flurry of commentary about the proposed modernization of the Smith-Mundt Act of 1948 which created the framework for all of the overseas information dissemination and cultural and educational exchanges activity of the USG. The reasons for the modernization vary with the interest group concerned but it is generally regarded that the 24/7 news cycle and the existence of the Internet have made portions of the Act either laughable or inoperable depending upon your point of view.
Specifically, the prohibition against the Department of State's dissemination of material intended for overseas audiences to American citizens or residents of the USA is a rather tough rule to enforce when most of this content is carried routinely on the Internet and is instantly access[i]ble to millions of Americans--if they choose to access it. Rather too much has been made of this over the years and I am ambivalent as to whether modernization is so vitally necessary. Still, I think modernization of the relev[a]nt portions of the Act is inevitable and in making these changes we must ensure that there are no unintended consequences which would allow some future bureaucrat to manipulate American public opinion. That said, the American public is already perhaps the most propagandized public on the face of the earth--we just call it public affairs or public information instead of propaganda!" Kiehl image from
Congress Seeks To Establish Ministry of Truth! – Tea Party Nation… - Posted by KrisAnne Hall, projectworldawareness.com: "Once again, the National Defense Authorization Act is used as a Trojan horse to unload on its people a dangerous threat. This time it is offered up in an amendment sponsored by Representative Thornberry from
In China, foreigner-bashing brings backlash - Keith B. Richburg, Washington Post: "The Beijing Daily newspaper has discovered as much each time it has tried to stir up popular sentiment against U.S. Ambassador Gary Locke. After Chen, the blind activist, turned up at the U.S. Embassy, the Beijing Daily and other state-controlled newspapers in the capital launched a coordinated editorial attack on Locke, accusing him of, among other things, pretending to be an ordinary guy by flying economy class, staying in cheap hotels, carrying a backpack and paying for his Starbucks coffee with a coupon.
All that, the Beijing Daily suggested, reflected an insidious American plot to curry favor with the masses. The attack prompted so much derision that the paper shut down its comments section. Locke, with his Chinese roots and casual style, is popular here, and many Netizens noted that no Chinese leader would ever be seen flying economy class or carrying a backpack. That didn’t stop the paper from demanding this week that Locke reveal his assets, presumably to prove his ordinariness. The U.S. Consulate in
Amended DOS directive says that Chinese teachers are not required to leave the country - Mark Overmann , alliance-exchange.org: “The Department of State issued a new guidance directive this afternoon [May 25] (available here; direct to PDF here), clarifying the visa status of Chinese teachers at campus-based Confucius Institutes. Specifically, the directive states that Chinese language teachers “sponsored by university or college sponsors who are teaching at primary or secondary schools are not required to depart the United States at the end of this academic year, unless that was their intended date of departure.” Via LJB.
Public Schedule for May 25, 2012 - state.gov: "UNDER SECRETARY FOR PUBLIC DIPLOMACY AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS TARA SONENSHINE [:] 11:00 a.m. Under Secretary Sonenshine meets with U.S. Ambassador to New Zealand and Samoa David Huebner, at the Department of State. (CLOSED PRESS COVERAGE)[.]"
President Obama Announces More Key Administration Posts - atomicstockpicks.com: "President Obama announced his intent to nominate the following individual[...] to [a] key Administration post [...]: "Greta C. Holtz, Nominee for Ambassador to the Sultanate of Oman, Department of State [.] Greta C. Holtz, a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class of Minister-Counselor, serves as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Strategic Communications in the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs. From 2009 to 2010, Ms. Holtz
was Director for Provincial Affairs at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad. Previous assignments in Washington include Director of the Middle East Partnership Initiative in the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs (2006-2007) and Coordinator for the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe within the Bureau of European Regional Political-Military Affairs (2004-2006). Ms. Holtz entered the Foreign Service in 1985 and has served at U.S. Missions in Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Tunisia, Syria, and as Principal Officer in Adana, Turkey. She received a B.S. from Vanderbilt University, an M.A. from the University of Kentucky, and an M.S. from the National War College." Holtz image from
Israel, land of Jewish refugees, riled by influx of Africans - Joshua Mitnick, posted at brucewinfred.typepad.com: "The African migrants crossing illegally into Israel from Egypt are seeking refuge from oppression back home but have been left in a legal limbo by Israeli authorities who refrain from deporting them but won?t grant work permits or residency status. 'It's hard for the Israeli government because of our Jewish guilty DNA and considerations of public diplomacy to put illegal Africans on planes,' says Mitchell Barak, an Israeli public opinion expert. 'There is a debate raging here like ones raging elsewhere, like Mexicans in the US. We want to have compassion, but at a certain point our compassion is detrimental to our own well being due to the high numbers' of African migrants, he says."
Lavrov Urges NGOs To Up International Presence - ria.ru: "Russian non-governmental organizations (NGOs) should expand their presence on the international scene and, particularly, in the country’s foreign initiatives, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Friday. 'The density of Russian non-governmental organizations’ presence on the international scene does not yet correspond to the level [of Russia’s international influence],' Lavrov said at a meeting of the Russia’s Public Chamber’s International Cooperation and Public Diplomacy Council.
The Public Chamber is a state body with 126 members created in 2005 to analyze draft legislation and monitor the activities of the parliament and government. The International Cooperation and Public Diplomacy Council was established I 2012 to help Russian NGOs enter the international scene." Image from article, with caption: Russian NGOs should expand their presence on the international scene, Lavrov said
Minister: European states and citizens in difficult economic situation - famagusta-gazette.com: "Minister of the Interior Eleni Mavrou has said that European states and citizens are in a difficult economic situation, which as a result causes a series of other problems, such as social and political. Addressing a Public Diplomacy Workshop of the Club of Venice', in Protaras, on the eastern coast of Cyprus, the Minister
said that it is important for citizens to realise the reasons which lead to this world economic crisis. 'I believe that the exit from the economic crisis will signalize the creation of a better Europe which will be closer to its citizens and will demonstrate solidarity', she pointed out." Image from article
Phl Embassy Participates in Induction Course for Officers and Staff of the Timorese Foreign Ministry - nykom.com: "Philippine Ambassador to the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste Maria Aileen H. Bugarin delivered a lecture on the Philippines before officials and staff of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs who
were participants of an induction course on diplomacy last May 8. ... The lecture was part of the cultural and public diplomacy initiatives of the Embassy to foster among the Timorese a greater understanding and appreciation of the Philippines and its people." Image from article
What's so new about new public diplomacy? - Gabby LaVerghetta, A Hard Look at Soft Power: Global Public Diplomacy: "It seems somewhat peculiar to talk about new public diplomacy, especially because of the enduring difficulty of defining what is just plain public diplomacy. Nonetheless, recent years have displayed obvious changes in the way public diplomacy is being done across the board, which Nicholas J. Cull summarizes in 'Lessons from the Past.' These changes are numerous, but they all speak to a new focus on relationship-building. To the average observer, the most evident changes to public diplomacy are the digital tools being used to communicate. PD practitioners are present on blogs, social networks, and in some cases virtual worlds. These tools have had two profound effects on PD. The first effect is to make communication occur in real time. Audiences expect immediate responses, meaning PD practitioners must be more autonomous. They must also have a presence in the same time zone as the target audience to keep up with the local news cycle. The second effect is the expansion of potential audiences. These digital technologies have created a global networked society, meaning messages aimed at Albania can be read in Alabama. Another novelty of the new public diplomacy is the increase of actors to include NGOs, private organizations, and even average citizens. The state still plays an important role in PD, but it’s challenge now is to balance its efforts with more actors. For example, an organization like InterAction that has members in the field, engaging with local communities, is an enormous PD resource because of their knowledge and humanitarian work. As Bruce Gregory observed, education and aid are more effective than diplomatic rhetoric. These partnerships will foster greater engagement with local communities. Finally, the most significant transformation relates to the objective of PD. Top-down communication has become relationship building. The new public diplomacy recognizes that PD is about facilitating a dialogue, not imposing a system of values or beliefs. Building relationships constitutes a much smoother way of applying Nye’s soft power – letting foreign publics arrive at their own conclusions because of the attractiveness of one’s behavior. Overall the new public diplomacy has resulted in questions about who holds the power in these relationships. Power dynamics are changing on both sides with the growing numbers of actors and the tools that give voices to the audiences. Public diplomacy, new or old, means an attempt to manage the international environment. And a more democratized environment means more people to engage with. The best new PD will maximize these opportunities for engagement."
Student attendee profile - harrisschool.uchicago.edu: "In addition to Council members, Harris School students are also attending this Dean’s International Council meeting. One is Jamie Huang, a second-year student in a 3-year Master’s in Public Policy and Middle Eastern Studies dual degree program with Harris School and Center of Middle Eastern Studies, respectively. She is interested in public diplomacy and global security, and plans to write her thesis on Chinese economic investments/interests in the Middle East, specifically in UAE and Saudi Arabia.
'My interest in public diplomacy has led me to the University of Chicago,' says Jamie 'So far, it has been an unforgettable experience combining courses at from both schools for a more renaissance approach to studying policy. The functional element comes into play this summer when I travel to D.C. for a State Department internship in the Office of the Undersecretary of Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs. I’m looking forward to applying the skills I’ve developed at Harris and CMES to see policy in action.'” Image from article
Just Graduated and Can't Find a Job? Give Your Gap - Bill Blanning, Huffington Post: "So you're graduating into a tough economy, and job prospects are bleak. Or maybe you just want to take a break before going on to grad school. So what can you do with your 'gap year'? This is what a group of University of California-San Diego grads did: first, they created a website and organization called GiveYourGap.org that serves as a resource for recent grads who want to volunteer their time, effort and skills to non-profit organizations around the world. Then in January they sent a team of four recent grads to volunteer at projects in Asia. ... The team volunteered at a broad range of non-profits including medical, environmental and civil rights groups, centers for children with disabilities, and public diplomacy organizations."
I’d Rather Be in Charge by Charlotte Beers - Wayne Hurlbert, womensbiznews.com: "We women are not comfortable being ‘little men,’ and we don’t like being boxed into what is considered womanly at the expense of being seen as leaderly’, writes successful CEO and former Undersecretary of State for Public Diplomacy, Charlotte Beers
in her glass ceiling smashing and empowering book I’d Rather Be in Charge: A Legendary Business Leader’s Roadmap for Achieving Pride, Power, and Joy at Work. The author describes how women can reach their full career potential and achieve leadership roles in even the largest corporations.” Image from article
Goldman’s Jobs Act - todayheads.com: "Dina Powell, the head of the Goldman Sachs (GS) Foundation, breezed into an Upper East Side restaurant on the morning of April 19 and flung a red dress over a chair. 'I’m traveling,' she said apologetically, referring to both the dress and her slight tardiness. After breakfast, she had a flight to Washington. ... Managing the charitable activity for a company that has come to symbolize
corporate predation is just the sort of delicate role Powell has experience with. She was hired in 2007 by Goldman Chief Executive Officer Lloyd Blankfein and Chief of Staff John Rogers after spending six years as a member of the George W. Bush administration. Her last job there was Deputy Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs under Karen Hughes, where Powell worked to put a friendly face on the Bush government." Image from article
Public Diplomacy Anti-Parasite Invited to Mainland China - John Brown, Notes and Essays: "'An important and necessary tool for building communism is the socialist state, through which the working classes manage production and guide industrial development in the interests of all of society, exercise control over the way labor and distribution are measured, and defend their social gains from hostile classes from without and from 'the parasites, the sons of the wealthy, the swindlers, and other 'guardians of capitalist traditions'’’ (Lenin, Poln. sobr. soch., 5th ed., vol. 33, p. 102). --From ... The compiler of the Public Diplomacy Press and Blog Review (a blog which strives to be humorous, at the risk of being vulgar, and is evidently firewalled in mainland China), today received an invitation via e-mail to register for the '2nd Annual Symposium of Antiparasites,' from mainland China: 8211-Last chance to register for 2nd Annual Symposium of Antiparasites - e-mail from Ms. Sarah Fu, Program Coordinator Organizing Committee of SAP-2012, China East Wing, 11F, Dalian Ascendas IT Park No. 1 Hui Xian Yuan, Dalian Hi-tech Industrial Zone LN 116025, P.R.China Tel: 0086-411-84799609-813 Fax: 0086-411-84799629 Email:sarah@bitconferences.com - 'Dear John Brown, On behalf of the Organizing Committee of SAP-2012, we send this information to you concerning your participation at 2nd Annual Symposium of Antiparasites, which will be held from 30 July to 1 August, 2012 in Guangzhou, China.
In case you won’t miss it, we’d like to extend our invitation again. So far, only few speech opportunities are available now. Here we’d like to invite you to deliver a speech at conference. Would you please let me know if you are available and forward me your potential speech title soon? For the programs details: http://www.bitlifesciences.com/wcm2012/fullprogram_sap.asp Thank you.'" Image from
RELATED ITEMS
US Hacks Yemeni Web Sites in Propaganda Campaign: Secretary of State Hillary Clinton essentially admitted to playing precisely the same dirty game al-Qaeda is playing - John Glaser, antiwar.com: The State Department recently carried out a counter-propaganda campaign on Web sites being used by al-Qaeda’s affiliate in Yemen , challenging the anti-American narratives with others about civilians killed in terrorist strikes, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Wednesday. Al-Qaeda groups use “recruitment propaganda” on websites visited by tribal members in Yemen , Clinton said. But ”our team plastered the same sites with altered versions . . . that showed the toll al-Qaeda attacks have taken on the Yemeni people.” The U.S. propaganda campaign, Clinton said in a speech to the Special Operations Command in Tampa , was conducted by the Center for Strategic Counterterrorism Communications, based at the State Department.
It’s difficult to know how this “counter-propaganda” which emphasizes the civilian deaths perpetrated by the other side differs at all from what al-Qaeda is doing. Both groups – theU.S. military and al-Qaeda militants – consistently kill innocent civilians in Yemen and both try to convince people that the other side’s violence is unscrupulous. Clinton apparently wasn’t moved to make a distinction, in this case, between America and al-Qaeda. Image from article
A Pentagon Contractor Devised Attacks On Two USA Today Reporters - Eloise Lee - businessinsider.com: Earlier this year, two USA Today reporters—Tom Vanden Brook and his editor Ray Locker—became the victims of sophisticated online attacks that seemed to be designed to destroy their reputations. A slew of fake websites, social media accounts, and even a Wikipedia page popped up. False content was published in their names, set up to make Vanden Brook and Locker look like
It’s difficult to know how this “counter-propaganda” which emphasizes the civilian deaths perpetrated by the other side differs at all from what al-Qaeda is doing. Both groups – the
disreputable journalists. The trigger for the attacks proved to be a report they'd been working on about highly-expensive, failed
Killing Al Qaeda's leaders: It works: The targeted assassinations of Osama bin Laden and other high-level operatives have seriously damaged the terrorist group - Robin Simcox, latimes.com: Though Al Qaeda finds it easy enough to replace mid-level commanders and foot soldiers, some of its top leaders are virtually irreplaceable. America has made great progress against Al Qaeda precisely because its strategy has been to go after high-value targets. Killing senior Al Qaeda leaders doesn't just remove enemies from the battlefield; it also erases institutional knowledge and experience. Some followers may consider the targeted leaders to be martyrs. But that doesn't change the fact that their deaths are bad for Al Qaeda. By killing the group's elite leaders, the U.S. is not contributing to Al Qaeda's mythology but destroying it.
Our Man in Pakistan: Why didn't the U.S. help get Shakil Afridi out of trouble? - Review and Outlook, Wall Street Journal: Soon after the successful American raid against Osama Bin Laden, the Pakistani army picked up locals suspected of supplying fuel to SEAL Team Six's helicopters and firing flares to guide them to the bin Laden compound. Their biggest catch was Shakil Afridi, who on Wednesday was convicted of treason in Pakistan and sentenced to 33 years in prison. the U.S. failed to get Dr. Afridi
out of Pakistan before or soon after the raid. America's larger strategic goals in South Asia have justified engagement with a difficult partner in Islamabad, but Pakistan would be foolish to take America's support and patience for granted. The U.S. has other options in the region. With very few friends, Pakistan does not. Afridi image from
The Iranian view on how to strike a deal - David Ignatius, Washington Post: The more the West has tried to squeeze Iran, the more the Iranians have done precisely the things that infuriate the West. That may be because they’re determined to acquire nuclear-weapons capability, or because they resist pressure tactics. Either way, recent efforts to constrain Iran haven’t worked.
More Drowning on Hypocrisy - Peter Van Buren, We Meant Well:
Foreign actors in India do well by playing the bad: Despite India's increasingly global outlook, Bollywood has plenty of roles for 'the evil foreigner' - Mark Magnier, latimes.com: A growing number of foreigners are working in India's massive film industry, among the world's largest. It produced 1,089 pictures in 2011, significantly more than the U.S. output.
Sure, playing a string of one-dimensional, not-very-sympathetic roles can get a bit frustrating, the foreigners say. Among typical male roles are power-hungry CIA agents, Russian mafia thugs, racist Australian policemen and, most enduring, brutal British colonialists. Actors say they sometimes cringe at the insensitive lines they deliver playing characters that often meet bad endings. Image from article, with caption: Brandon Hill as a British lieutenant governor in the Indian TV series “Mohe Rang De” (“Color Me”). He often apologizes to the other actors on the set for the lines he'll deliver.
Vietnam jails three over anti-government leaflets - chinapost.com: An official says a court in central Vietnam has sentenced three political activists to up to three and a half years in prison for distributing anti-government leaflets. Presiding Judge Vi Van Chat said that the three were convicted of “spreading propaganda against the state” at Thursday's half-day trial in Nghe An province.
Photography competition launched to mark the 60th anniversary of the reopening of Tianjin New Port - chinadaily.com: Commemorating the 60th Anniversary of the Reopening of Tianjin New Port and the 3rd Tianjin Harbor Travel Culture Festival Photography Competition jointly organized by the Propaganda Department of Binhai New Area’s Party Committee and the Propaganda Department of the Party Committee of Tianjin Port Group Co., Ltd
was formally launched today. Undertaken by Tianjin Port Culture and Media and Tianjin Binhai New Area Photographers Association with support from Xinhua News’ Tianjin channel and Tianjin Port Tugboat & Lighter, the photography competition is designed to showcase the world-class harbor’s demeanor and the new achievements made in building a first-class enterprise, reflecting in full range the achievements made by Tianjin port on loading and unloading production, port construction, modern technology, beautiful environment, culture and tourism and excellent service, and displaying the ever changing outlook of Tianjin port since the reform and opening up and carrying forward the corporate culture and human spirit of the port by following the theme of the 60th Anniversary of the reopening of the port. Image from article
Modern Queen changes with the times - bigpondnews.com: Queen Elizabeth's coronation oath in 1953 was to solemnly promise to govern the British realm. As she embarked on her life of public duty, the now 86-year-old could well have made another pledge along the lines of the famous saying: keep calm and carry on.
The imminence of war in 1939 prompted Westminster to release propaganda posters carrying the catchphrase, intended to raise public morale in the event of invasion. During the Queen's 60-year reign there have been countless occasions when, facing adversity, she has had to heed the advice best summed up by the classic slogan. Image from
MORE ON SMITH-MUNDT
Congress Seeks To Establish Ministry of Truth! – Tea Party Nation… - Posted by KrisAnne Hall, projectworldawareness.com: Once again, the National Defense Authorization Act is used as a Trojan horse to unload on its people a dangerous threat. This time it is offered up in an amendment sponsored by Representative Thornberry from
In 1942, FDR established the United States Office of War Information by executive order to “truthfully inform” the American people about the government’s efforts in World War II. FDR appointed Elmer Davis, a well-known CBS News analyst, as director of OWI. Davis ’ job was to coordinate information from the military and mobilize public support of the war. OWI was to create an avenue for the government to develop and disseminate the information that they believed people needed to know about the war.
“Our job at home is to give the American people the fullest possible understanding of what this war is about …not only to tell the American people how the war is going, but where it is going and where it came from.” Elmer Davis. AP/Wide World
In 1946 Rep. Sol Bloom (D-NY) introduced a bill that would grant the Secretary of State the power to give monetary, service, or property grants to nonprofit public and private corporations to prepare and disseminate informational materials. Although this act was intended to disseminate information abroad, there were no limitations to keep it from being used upon the American people and opposition began to form. After having lived through two regimes of government propaganda and having seen the effects of such government propaganda machines as Joseph Goebbels’ Ministry of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda, Congress decided this was not something they wanted to engage in.
An AP Press Release stated “government cannot engage in news casting without creating the fear of propaganda which necessarily would reflect the objectivity of the news services from which such news casts are prepared.”
The Bloom Bill passed the house, but failed in the Senate. In 1948, the Smith-Mundt Act was passed with three key limitations on the government. The first and most well-known restriction was originally a prohibition on domestic dissemination of materials intended for foreign audiences by the State Department. This restriction has been supported by the courts even in the face of freedom of information act challenges. In November 1996 the federal District Court in Washington, D.C., ruled that the material under the Smith-Mundt Act is not to be available, applying the Freedom of Information Act‘s Exemption 3 to block access.
The Smith-Mundt Act is now found in 22 USC 1461-1a titled, Ban on domestic activities by United States Information Agency. The Smith-Mundt Modernization Act of 2012 is set to change all of that. This act does several very destructive things. First, it puts the President’s Board of Broadcasting Governors on the same level of authority as the Secretary of State. The Board of Broadcasting Governors is an independent government agency whose members are appointed by the President and whose sole function is to create American propaganda and disseminate this propaganda abroad.
The Smith-Mundt Act of 1948 created a limitation for propaganda to be released in the United States . If such propaganda was requested, the information could not be released until 12 years after its publication. This was an additional protection established so that this government created information could not be used to influence current public opinion. Thornberry’s HR 5736, The Smith-Mundt Modernization Act, would preserve that 12 year limitation for all propaganda created prior to the adoption of this act but would remove the limitation for everything created after. Therefore, you have to wait 12 years to obtain propaganda created in 2010, but propaganda created in 2013 would be immediately available for dissemination domestically.
Finally, although I am sure supporters of this legislation will attempt to tell you that this act has protections built in to prevent the use of propaganda to influence Americans; make no mistake this act fails to ensure that result. It is true the Act maintains the original prohibition for domestic use.
(a) In General- No funds authorized to be appropriated to the Department of State or the Broadcasting Board of Governors shall be used to influence public opinion in the United States . This section shall apply only to programs carried out pursuant to the United States Information and Educational Exchange Act of 1948 (22 U.S.C. 1431 et seq.), the United States International Broadcasting Act of 1994 (22 U.S.C. 6201 et seq.), the Radio Broadcasting to Cuba Act (22 U.S.C. 1465 et seq.), and the Television Broadcasting to Cuba Act (22 U.S.C. 1465aa et seq.). This section shall not prohibit or delay the Department of State or the Broadcasting Board of Governors from providing information about its operations, policies, programs, or program material, or making such available, to the media, public, or Congress, in accordance with other applicable law.
However, this new Act adds new language that completely nullifies that prohibition through a couple rather clever loopholes.
The original Act does not include “program material” in the list of items that must be provided. This is how the courts could decide that the propaganda material was covered under the Freedom Information Act’s section 3 limitations. The addition of “program material” will now require the actual propaganda to be available through a FOIA request.
As if that was not bad enough, the new Act adds a section “b” that will create the most effective loophole to nullify the prohibition in section (a).
(b) Rule of Construction- Nothing in this section shall be construed to prohibit the Department of State or the Broadcasting Board of Governors from engaging in any medium or form of communication, either directly or indirectly, because a United States domestic audience is or may be thereby exposed to program material, or based on a presumption of such exposure. Such material may be made available within the United States and disseminated, when appropriate, pursuant to sections 502 and 1005 of the United States Information and Educational Exchange Act of 1948 (22 U.S.C. 1462 and 1437), except that nothing in this section may be construed to authorize the Department of State or the Broadcasting Board of Governors to disseminate within the United States any program material prepared for dissemination abroad on or before the effective date of the Smith-Mundt Modernization Act of 2012.
Section (b) tells the Secretary of State and the Board of Broadcasting Governors that they do not have to worry about the limitation of section (a). They are to go about business as usual in spite of the fact that this information will be immediately available for domestic distribution. This creates a loophole the size of the Grand Canyon for these agencies to create propaganda that they know will be distributed domestically and will be used to influence Americans.
So, why should we care? We should care, because this crime against the American people is not be perpetrated by a Socialist President through executive order. It is CONGRESS authorizing this manipulation. It is coming from alleged CONSERVATIVE CONGRESSMEN. This act will not only legitimize the heinous manipulation of mainstream media, but will allow Congress to FUND IT with TAX PAYER DOLLARS.
VIDEOS
(a) Classic anti-communist propaganda becomes relevant - a4cgr.wordpress.com: "I call this classic Hanna-Barbera cartoon ‘propaganda’ because I believe that is exactly what it was, but that doesn’t mean it didn’t make some relevant points. Interestingly enough, its points seem to be as relevant today, if not more so. Make Mine Freedom (1948) … "
(b) Propaganda from the 90′s - thetgbreport.com: "Here is some wonderful propaganda from the 1990′s. I thought this was a load of b.s. when I was a kid and it seems even more so now. I guess the fact that the oil being drilled out of the ground is not helping to transport goods such as food around the U.S. and other countries. Food that is created cheaper thanks to modern farm equipment that runs on diesel fuel. Better more beneficently grown food makes it cheaper and easier for people to afford."
AMERICANA
Typical CEO made $9.6 million last year, AP study finds - Christina Rexrode, Associated Press, USA Today: The head of a typical public company made $9.6 million in 2011, according to an analysis by The Associated Press using data from Equilar, an executive pay research firm. That was up more than 6% from the previous year. The figure is also the highest since the AP began tracking executive compensation in 2006. Companies trimmed cash bonuses but handed out more in stock awards. The typical American worker would have to labor for 244 years to make what the typical boss of a big public company makes in one. The median pay for U.S. workers was about $39,300 last year. That was up 1% from the year before, not enough to keep pace with inflation.
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