NDAA Legalizes The Use Of Propaganda Against US Citizens.

Like a few years ago, people are missing the point of the, H.R.5736 -- Smith-Mundt Modernization Act of 2012.


The old situation was that the American public could not be exposed to propaganda aimed at a foreign public. Because this propaganda is now being released on the internet, Americans are potentially exposed to it.

(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.

thomas.loc.gov...:H.R.5736:


That's why they came up with this new bill. They were basically breaking the law by putting their foreign aimed propaganda on the internet, since Americans could potentially view this.

a reply to: DutchMasterChief
Interesting information. But I wonder why they didn't do this a long time ago. The Voice of America has been heard all over the world for decades. Many people consider VOA a propaganda outfit.

-dex

a reply to: DexterRiley

Under § 501 of the Smith–Mundt Act of 1948, the Voice of America was forbidden to broadcast directly to American citizens until July 2013[2] when it was repealed in the Smith-Mundt Modernization Act provision of the National Defense Authorization Act for 2013.[3] The intent of the legislation in 1948 was to protect the American public from propaganda actions by its own government.[34]

en.wikipedia.org...


Voice of America is and was aimed at a foreign audience so it was never in conflict with any laws.

a reply to: Painterz

Was propaganda ever illegal?

they cant manipulate you if you already know how your manipulated.

a reply to: Wide-Eyes

Good question. All I can find right now is this,

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.

http:// thomas.loc.gov /cgi-bin/query/z?c112:H.R.5736:


But this only applies to the D of S and the BBG. I don't know if there is any law that prohibits the US government from influencing public opinion in the US.

a reply to: DutchMasterChief

Understood. My impression of your previous post was that the modification of the prior legislation was due to the ubiquity of the Internet:

The old situation was that the American public could not be exposed to propaganda aimed at a foreign public. Because this propaganda is now being released on the internet, Americans are potentially exposed to it.

We've been exposed to the propaganda of the VOA for years. I remember listening to it as a kid on my shortwave radio. However, I now see that Voice of America was exempted from the original legislation. Thanks for the update.


-dex

originally posted by: Thecakeisalie
a reply to: Painterz

I'm pretty sure Call of Duty has been doing this for more than a decade.

'Hey kids! too young to remember 9/11 but old enough to hold a controller? Play Call of Duty! shoot terrorists in the streets of Baghdad! Shoot your fellow man while bragging about fornicating their mothers! learn about the glory of military service!'

It's a known fact that the military 'consults' Hollywood and video game developers to paint them in a good light and these mediums could also be used for promoting a career in the armed forces despite how hideously inaccurate they are.

'YVAN EHT NIOJ' was far more subtle.

Too true! I'm too old to be a gamer, but I've noticed the latest seems to be Call Of Duty: Black Ops.

I guess that teaches the players that Black Ops are normal, heroic, and democratic. Egads.

Ah, that explains why I hadn't seen anything else about it, sorry about that, didn't realise it was from a few years ago.