Aug 2, 2013
seen from United States
seen from India
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from Ecuador
seen from United States
seen from India
seen from Spain
seen from Saudi Arabia
seen from India
seen from Malaysia
seen from United States
seen from Malaysia
seen from Malaysia
seen from Tunisia
seen from United States
seen from Australia
The 1948 Smith-Mundt Act was intended to shield U.S. citizens from American propaganda, which the State Department has been broadcasting abroad for decades. This month, the Smith-Mundt Modernization Act takes effect, allowing that material to be broadcast stateside. Bob talks with Washington State Democrat and bill co-sponsor Adam Smith who says there is no need to worry.
(via On The Media)
"The domestic dissemination ban was not really intended to protect the American public from propaganda," Emily Metzgar, a professor at Indiana University school of journalism and a former U.S. diplomat who supports the change to the law, said. "The historical record suggests it was really more about protecting a nascent broadcast industry in the United States right after World War II, and it was over time that more and more politics got interjected into the discussion."
(via NBC)
But because American citizens largely haven't been able to see what the BBG reports, public oversight of the organization has been limited. "At least now we can access the content, listen for ourselves, and hold the government accountable," Stearns said. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has also come out in favor of the change on the grounds that it should increase government transparency.
(via The Verge)