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As Trump's appointee takes charge of the US government-funded global news agency, the president now has an opportunity to create an unprecedented international propaganda machine reaching 350 million people in 61 languages worldwide. https://twitter.com/FaizaPatelBCJ/status/1273083294750556160
The Senate recently confirmed Trump’s nominee Michael Pack, a Bannon ally, to lead 5 global news networks including @VOANews. As I wrote in @thehill last Oct, with Pack at the helm, Trump may finally get his hands on the propaganda machine of his dreams: http://thehill.com/opinion/technology/466647-congress-should-strengthen-laws-outlawing-domestic-government-propaganda
Pack will lead the govt-funded US Agency for Global Media, founded to promote freedom of the press abroad. Its networks have long relied on a strong firewall protecting their independent reporting from White House influence, which Trump hopes to dismantle: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/04/us/politics/senate-confirms-michael-pack-voa.html
In addition to the Agency's current intl reach of 350 million ppl, Trump has expressed interest in directing USAGM news to US audiences, in violation of a 1948 propaganda ban. But a 2013 amendment to the ban opened the door for Trump to *covertly* spread USAGM news in the US.
For example, news stations could subscribe to the Agency’s materials and rebroadcast that content covertly, without attribution to its governmental source. Previous admins have dabbled in covert propaganda: https://twitter.com/Raya_Koreh/status/1186313744584003585?s=20
With Trump's appointee at the head of this US-funded international news agency, it is more critical than ever to strengthen the government propaganda ban and prevent the use of covert domestic propaganda.
