A post being shared on X claims that former President Barack Obama repealed the Smith-Mundt Act in 2012, paving the way for the government to promote “propaganda” on domestic radio and television.
Imagine Mudiji with Smith-Mundt Act. How many millions of dollars India would have saved without fake PR and propaganda of government pic.twitter.com/L4eRVVtesa
— αпiпδιтα (@iHateFreeWorld_) October 22, 2024
Verdict: Misleading
The Smith-Mundt Act was not repealed, but was amended by President Obama in 2012. This amendment did not authorize “state-backed propaganda.”
Fact Check:
The Informational and Educational Exchange Act of 1948, also known as the Smith-Mundt Act, was passed by Congress and signed into law by President Harry S. Truman on Jan. 27, 1948. Named after one of the bill’s sponsors, Republican South Dakota Rep. Karl E. Mundt, the bill aimed to specify exactly what ways the U.S. State Department is allowed to engage in public diplomacy to overseas audiences.
A post being shared on X claims that the Smith-Mundt Act was repealed by President Barack Obama in 2012. “Imagine Mudiji with Smith-Mundt Act. How many millions of dollars India would have saved without fake PR and propaganda of government,” the post’s caption reads.
However, this is misleading. President Obama signed the Smith-Mundt Modernization Act, which amended the 1948 bill and allowed Americans access to programming intended for foreigners. The act was signed with the amendment along with National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2012. The Smith-Mundt act regulated what the State Department was allowed to broadcast to foreign audiences, and also banned the dissemination of content produced by them on domestic soil.
The ACLU did, in fact, say that it’s repeal was a positive step for the First Amendment. (RELATED: No, The Atlantic Did Not Write An Article Titled ‘Trump is Literally Hitler’)
.@ACLU: Smith-Mundt reform “a Positive Step for First Amendment.” http://t.co/0Wiz1mWg @Rep_Adam_Smith @MacTXPress @TSonenshine @CJR
— US Agency for Global Media (@USAGMgov) May 25, 2012
According to the U.S. Agency for Global Media, this legislation was meant to create “an information service to disseminate abroad information about the United States, its people, and policies.” The bill facilitated the founding of Voice of Development (VOA), a U.S. funded broadcasting service meant to promote American diplomacy to foreign audiences.
The X post was tagged with a Community Note, giving users proper context.
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