Hypocrisy in the Use of "Public Diplomacy Information" (propaganda?)

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Hypocrisy in the Use of "Public Diplomacy [JB emphasis] Information" (propaganda?) – a somewhat complicated posting, but what about our government isn't nowadays...

HR 4310 was the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2013, signed into law by obama in Jan 2013. A section of this massive legislation (over 680 pages), specifically section 1078 - recently referred to in another thread by another user (austingtir), and upon some simple research (internet), albeit time consuming for pro bono thread posting (thanks to the minion for their assistance in finding and citing appropriate legislation in an expeditious manner) - amends prior legislation that essentially legalized the use of "information about the United States, its people, and its policies" (aka propaganda?) for "dissemination abroad" back in 1948. So while yes, we're essentially hypocrites in complaining about others interfering in our elections, etc, as we essentially do the same to others, the change as amended in 2012 by HR 4310, SEC. 1078, has to do with the this information now being legal to use by our own government on its own populace, us, we the people.

Quotes are directly from enacted legislation. (sources linked)

Original Information and Educational Exchange Act of 1948:
https://www.state.gov/documents/organization/177574.pdf
Quote:
TITLE V - DISSEMINATING INFORMATION ABOUT THE UNITED STATES ABROAD
general authorization
SEC. 501.
The Secretary is authorized, when he finds it appropriate, to provide for the preparation, and dissemination abroad, of information about the United States, its people, and its policies, through press, publications, radio, motion pictures, and other information media, and through information centers and instructors abroad. Any such press release or radio script, on request, shall be available in the English language at the Department of State, at all reasonable times following its release as information abroad, for examination by representatives of United States press associations, newspapers, magazines, radio systems, and stations, and, on request, shall be made available to Members of Congress.
So, the original legislation expressly limited this information to "dissemination abroad" - and "through information centers and instructors abroad." - while allowing the "examination", not release, of said materials by the US press and congress.

The above was amended by HR 4310, SEC. 1078 in 2012, and signed into law in 2013 by obama...

Amended:
https://www.congress.gov/bill/112th-...bill/4310/text
Quote:
SEC. 1078. DISSEMINATION ABROAD OF INFORMATION ABOUT THE UNITED STATES.
(a) United States Information and Educational Exchange Act of 1948.--Section 501 of the United States Information and Educational Exchange Act of 1948 (22 U.S.C. 1461) is amended to read as follows:
general authorization
SEC. 501.
(a) The Secretary and the Broadcasting Board of Governors are authorized to use funds appropriated or otherwise made available for public diplomacy information programs to provide for the preparation, dissemination, and use of information intended for foreign audiences abroad about the United States, its people, and its policies, through press, publications, radio, motion pictures, the Internet, and other information media, including social media, and through information centers, instructors, and other direct or indirect means of communication.
(b)(1) Except as provided in paragraph (2), the Secretary and the Broadcasting Board of Governors may, upon request and reimbursement of the reasonable costs incurred in fulfilling such a request, make available, in the United States, motion pictures, films, video, audio, and other materials disseminated abroad pursuant to this Act, 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.), or the Television Broadcasting to Cuba Act (22 U.S.C. 1465aa et seq.).
So here, the amendment legislation lessens the limitation by including the word "intended" in its characterization of "information intended for foreign audiences abroad" - and in (b)(1) amends the "for examination" phrase, and changes it to "make available, in the United States," with no limiting qualification.

Here's where it gets even more interesting....

Original Foreign Relations Authorization Act, Fiscal Years 1986 and 1987 (HR 2068, 99th congress)
https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/99/hr2068/text
Quote:
SEC. 208. BAN ON DOMESTIC ACTIVITIES BY THE USIA.
Except as provided in section 501 of the United States Information and Educational Exchange Act of 1948 (22 U.S.C. 1461) and this section, no funds authorized to be appropriated to the United States Information Agency shall be used to influence public opinion in the United States, and no program material prepared by the United States Information Agency shall be distributed within the United States. This section shall not apply to programs carried out pursuant to the Mutual Educational and Cultural Exchange Act of 1961.
So, the original Foreign Relations Authorization Act, Fiscal Years 1986 and 1987, imposed a ban on the USIA from using appropriated funds to "influence public opinion in the United States, and no program material prepared by the United States Information Agency shall be distributed within the United States."

This ban was amended (read removed) by HR 4310, SEC. 1078, signed into law by obama in Jan 2013.

Amended:
https://www.congress.gov/bill/112th-...bill/4310/text
Quote:
SEC. 1078. DISSEMINATION ABROAD OF INFORMATION ABOUT THE UNITED STATES.
(c) Foreign Relations Authorization Act, Fiscal Years 1986 and 1987.--Section 208 of the Foreign Relations Authorization Act, Fiscal Years 1986 and 1987 (22 U.S.C. 1461-1a) is amended to read as follows:
SEC. 208. CLARIFICATION ON DOMESTIC DISTRIBUTION OF PROGRAM MATERIAL.
(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.
(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 section 1078 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013.
Notice how the original was "BAN ON DOMESTIC ACTIVITIES BY THE USIA." - very clear and succinct, but the newly amended legislation is "CLARIFICATION ON DOMESTIC DISTRIBUTION OF PROGRAM MATERIAL.", no more ban - and the "Rule of Construction" states that "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"

Full disclosure, here are the appropriate sections of pursuant law cited in 4310’s, "Rule of Construction" under Sec 1078, Secs. 502 and 1005 of the United States Information and Educational Exchange Act of 1948 :
www.state.gov/documents/organization/177574.pdf
Quote:
POLICIES GOVERNING INFORMATION ACTIVITIES
SEC. 502. In authorizing international information activities under this Act, it is the sense of the Congress (1) that the Secretary shall reduce such Government information activities whenever corresponding private information dissemination is found to be adequate; (2) that nothing in this Act shall be construed to give the Department a monopoly in the production or sponsorship on the air of short-wave broadcasting programs, or a monopoly in any other medium of information.
UTILIZATION OF PRIVATE AGENCIES
SEC. 1005. In carrying out the provisions of this Act it shall be the duty of the Secretary to utilize, to the maximum extent practicable, the services and facilities of private agencies, including existing American press, publishing, radio, motion picture, and other agencies, through contractual arrangements or otherwise. It is the intent of Congress that the Secretary shall encourage participation in carrying out the purposes of this Act by the maximum number of different private agencies in each field consistent with the present or potential market for their services in each country.
502 and 1005 simply give acceptance to using other sources, private or otherwise, for production or dissemination of said information - entirely limited to "dissemination abroad" by SEC. 501 in original legislation, but now amended.

Bottom line is this, what was once limited to "dissemination abroad" and "BAN ON DOMESTIC ACTIVITIES BY THE USIA" was amended by HR 4310, SEC. 1078, to "use of information intended for foreign audiences abroad" and "CLARIFICATION ON DOMESTIC DISTRIBUTION OF PROGRAM MATERIAL". What was once permitted for populations abroad, the congress of 2012-2013 and the obama admin saw fit to permit on their own population.

Fair enough, as what's good for the goose is good for the gander, but we all need to be fully aware of said capabilities and of the hypocrisy of said HR 4310, SEC. 1078, being passed and signed into law by an administration and party outraged by the claimed use of russian propaganda to impact our election and our populous, when as of 2013 they themselves changed the law to permit it on their own population.

Additional disclosure, the obama admin did voice some dissent to HR 4310...
https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov...sident-hr-4310
...but missing from that stated dissent was anything relating to Sec 1078... hmmmm.... is there something to this "fake news"?

Also, makes one wonder how many little sections of massive legislation get thrown in and go largely unnoticed by the unsuspecting populace...