Isn't it illegal to deliberately target our own people with propaganda?

[zaj]

I know I've read about this somewhere, but my google-skiz are failing me.

[tocqueville]

1. you mean like "catapulting" ?? nt

[The2ndWheel]

2. They've been doing it since the founding

why start with legalities now?

[genie_weenie]

3. No, because the State supersedes the People

...

[LostinVA]

4. It's against Federal Law

[zaj]

5. Link?

I need a source or a name. I'm looking for more specifics.

[chat_noir]

6. early Googling

Office of Public Diplomacy was shut down because it was found that it was secretly propagandizing the American people.

http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=05/01/11/1446234


Article is about Armstrong Williams case.

[Cerridwen]

7. Here ya go - the Smith Mundt Act of 1948

A. The Smith Mundt Act
The USIA was founded in 1948 under the United States Information and Educational Exchange Act of 1948 (the Smith-Mundt Act) to "provide other people with a better understanding of the policies, values, institutions, and culture of the United States." 22 U.S.C. § 1431. Title V of the Smith-Mundt Act, enacted in 1948, authorizes the USIA to prepare and disseminate its program materials abroad while prohibiting the agency from disseminating these same materials domestically. (emphasis mine)

note: USIA is the U.S. Information Agency

From this link:

http://www.citizen.org/litigation/briefs/FOIAGovtSec/articles.cfm?ID=801

More info at FindLaw:

http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/scripts/getcase.pl?court=dc&navby=case&no=975017A

[zaj]

8. Thanks! This lead me to another good link...

http://wiki.uscpublicdiplomacy.com/mediawiki/index.php/Smith_Mundt_Act