Smith-Mundt Act Speech

 The Smith-Mundt Act is a document that was first and foremost created in order to prevent the United States government from spreading propaganda among it's own citizens. It was put set into law during the Cold War, and aimed to both counter propaganda from other governments, and promote a better understanding of the United States' policies abroad.

For some historical context, the document was formed in a reaction towards foreign governments, like the Soviet Union and Germany, who were using their power to promote propaganda among it's own people. The United States, on the other hand, being the great shining beacon on the hill, realized we needed a more structured approach to communicate policies and values with both foreign receivers and the home team. So, Senator H. William Smith, alongside Representative Karl Mundt sponsored the document, (hence the name), and the groundwork was laid for a new system in which communication with foreign entities became more clear, and spreading American values and policies was now simpler and easier.

The Smith-Mundt Act provided the framework for the dissemination of information, which led to the creation of USIA, otherwise known as the U.S. Information Agency. The USIA was responsible for sharing information about the United States' political systems, polcies, and culture.

Now you may be wondering, why is Lee droning on and on about some document that was made back in the 1940s? Well, I'll tell you. The Smith-Mundt Act was a hot topic about ten years ago, and even reached as far as the desk of former president Barack Obama. Obama would go on to sign the Smith-Mundt Modernization Act in 2012, which allowed for the American people to have access to the US. Agency for Global Media's programming upon request. This means, that if you wanted to check out what is going on in the Agency of Global Media, and as long as you are a certified American, you may request as much information as your heart desires on the topic.

But what does this mean? There are essentially two sides to the argument. One will tell you that the new act will promote freedom of the press, and will break barriers between the government and the people. Another side will tell you that this is a terrible provision which allows for propaganda for the American government to push against it's own people. Though there is some truth in both sides, I'd like to challenge you to use your own critical thinking skills to analyze the Smith-Mundt Act. Do you think it should have been repealed? Should we have changed it in a different way? Do you agree with the way President Obama reformed the Act? I believe that considering these questions closely will allow you to dive into propaganda and politics much more, and I hope you learned something today about the Smith-Mundt case. If nothing else, just remember that although there will be people on both sides of this argument trying to tell you what to believe, please use caution and your own individual discretion to formulate where you stand.