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Senate
Passes Major Portman-Murphy Counter-Propaganda Bill as Part of NDAA
Portman/Murphy
Bill Promotes Coordinated Strategy to Defend America, Allies Against
Propaganda and Disinformation from Russia, China & Others
WASHINGTON,
D.C. – U.S. Senators Rob Portman (R-OH) and Chris Murphy (D-CT)
today announced that their Countering Disinformation and Propaganda
Act – legislation designed to help American allies counter foreign
government propaganda from Russia, China, and other nations – has
passed the Senate as part of the FY 2017 National Defense
Authorization Act (NDAA) Conference Report. The bipartisan bill,
which was introduced by Senators Portman and Murphy in March, will
improve the ability of the United States to counter foreign
propaganda and disinformation by establishing an interagency center
housed at the State Department to coordinate and synchronize
counter-propaganda efforts throughout the U.S. government. To support
these efforts, the bill also creates a grant program for NGOs, think
tanks, civil society and other experts outside government who are
engaged in counter-propaganda related work. This will better leverage
existing expertise and empower local communities to defend themselves
from foreign manipulation.
“The
passage of this bill in the Senate today takes us one critical step
closer to effectively confronting the extensive, and destabilizing,
foreign propaganda and disinformation operations being waged against
us. While the propaganda and disinformation threat has grown, the
U.S. government has been asleep at the wheel. Today we are finally
signaling that enough is enough; the United States will no longer sit
on the sidelines. We are going to confront this threat head-on,”
said Senator Portman. “With the help of this bipartisan bill, the
disinformation and propaganda used against our allies and our
interests will fail.”
“Congress
has taken a big step in fighting back against fake news and
propaganda from countries like Russia. When the president signs this
bill into law, the United States will finally have a dedicated set of
tools and resources to confront our adversaries’ widespread efforts
to spread false narratives that undermine democratic institutions and
compromise America’s foreign policy goals,” said Murphy. “I’m
proud of what Senator Portman and I accomplished here because it’s
long past time for the U.S. to get off the sidelines and confront
these growing threats.”
NOTE:
The bipartisan Countering Disinformation and Propaganda Act is
organized around two main priorities to help achieve the goal of
combatting the constantly evolving threat of foreign disinformation.
They are as follows:
The
first priority is developing a whole-of-government strategy for
countering foreign propaganda and disinformation. The bill would
increase the authority, resources, and mandate of the Global
Engagement Center to include state actors like Russia and China in
addition to violent extremists. The Center will be led by the State
Department, but with the active senior level participation of the
Department of Defense, USAID, the Broadcasting Board of Governors,
the Intelligence Community, and other relevant agencies. The Center
will develop, integrate, and synchronize whole-of-government
initiatives to expose and counter foreign disinformation operations
and proactively advance fact-based narratives that support U.S.
allies and interests.
Second,
the legislation seeks to leverage expertise from outside government
to create more adaptive and responsive U.S. strategy options. The
legislation establishes a fund to help train local journalists and
provide grants and contracts to NGOs, civil society organizations,
think tanks, private sector companies, media organizations, and other
experts outside the U.S. government with experience in identifying
and analyzing the latest trends in foreign government disinformation
techniques. This fund will complement and support the Center’s role
by integrating capabilities and expertise available outside the U.S.
government into the strategy-making process. It will also empower a
decentralized network of private sector experts and integrate their
expertise into the strategy-making process.
From Zero Hedge
Great start. Success will depend on gaining interagency buy-in and effective implementation.
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