2013: The Ramp-Up In Fake News Begins Here
The Smith-Mundt Act of 1948 forbids information and psychological operations aimed at influencing U.S. public opinion.
National Defence Authorization Act passed in January 2013 contained an amendment that nullified the Smith-Mundt Act of 1948.
The amendment was sponsored by Rep. Mac Thornberry from Texas and Rep. Adam Smith from Washington State
The Smith-Mundt Modernization Act of 2012 lifted the ban on the domestic dissemination of U.S. government-produced propaganda.
https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/BILLS-112hr5736ih/pdf/BILLS-112hr5736ih.pdf
The State Department can skip efforts to manipulate mainstream media outlets and directly disseminate campaigns of misinformation to the U.S. public.
If your cover's blown while spreading gov propaganda disguised as journalism, then it won't be seen as illegal.
Media outlets face little accountability for disseminating demonstrably false news – provided the lies are in the service of U.S. interests.
Dissent or question the narrative's veracity and be classified as "conspiracy theory" and deplatformed
And so begins a more pronounced skew toward parroting the official government narrative.
MSM begin hiring former government officials, including former U.S. intelligence directors, in positions once reserved for journalists.
CNN:
Michael Hayden, director of CIA/NSA
John Kirby, State Dept spox, Pentagon press secretary
James Clapper, DNI
Lisa Monaco, homeland security advisor
Spider Marks, head of US Army Intelligence
NBC/MSNBC:
John Brennan, CIA director
Jeremy Bash, CIA and DoD Chief of Staff
The Alliance for Securing Democracy
https://securingdemocracy.gmfus.org/about-us/advisory-council/
Advisory Council
Michael Morell, fromer acting director of the Central Intelligence Agency
Mike Chertoff, former U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security
William Kristol, former editor at The Weekly Standard
Rick Ledgett, former deputy director at the NSA
John Podesta, pedophile
Mike Rogers, former FBI
Broadcasting Board of Governors / United States Agency for Global Media
https://www.bbg.gov/who-we-are/our-leadership/board/