Posted on 12/05/2016 9:30:07 AM PST by TigerClaws
On November 30, one week after the Washington Post launched its witch hunt against "Russian propaganda fake news", with 390 votes for, the House quietly passed "H.R. 6393, Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017", sponsored by California Republican Devin Nunes (whose third largest donor in 2016 is Google parent Alphabet, Inc), a bill which deals with a number of intelligence-related issues, including Russian propaganda, or what the government calls propaganda, and hints at a potential crackdown on "offenders."
A quick skim of the bill reveals "Title V—Matters relating to foreign countries", whose Section 501 calls for the government to "counter active measures by Russia to exert covert influence … carried out in coordination with, or at the behest of, political leaders or the security services of the Russian Federation and the role of the Russian Federation has been hidden or not acknowledged publicly.”
The section lists the following definitions of media manipulation:
Establishment or funding of a front group. Covert broadcasting. Media manipulation. Disinformation and forgeries. Funding agents of influence. Incitement and offensive counterintelligence. Assassinations. Terrorist acts.
As ActivistPost correctly notes, it is easy to see how this law, if passed by the Senate and signed by the president, could be used to target, threaten, or eliminate so-called “fake news” websites, a list which has been used to arbitrarily define any website, or blog, that does not share the mainstream media's proclivity to serve as the Public Relations arm of a given administration.
Curiously, the bill which was passed on November 30, was introduced on November 22, two days before the Washington Post published its Nov. 24 article citing "experts" who claim Russian propaganda helped Donald Trump get elected.
https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th-congress/house-bill/6393/text#toc-H1F34F7843955494592B6F04108572B27
Danger here, of course, is sites like Drudge, FR, etc. could be deemed “Russian fake news sites” and shut down.
Serious? Should I believe these vodka drinkers on the other side of the world really care about creating fake news pages for USA?
From wiki leaks there is now evidence to investigate HRC’s campaign staff and advisors for all of those offenses
More likely, it’s directed at RT and Sputnik, which are both directly related to Putin, not to Russia.
And that Russia didn’t prefer a bloated alcoholic corrupt blackmailable globalist in the early stages of ..... Disease induced dementia.... over an “ America First” strong on defense republican ?
You guys haven’t been following the leftist spin on the election, have you?
They are so out of touch with reality they say the only reason Hillary lost was the ‘fake news’ pushed by Trump, but created by Russia to help Trump win.
Wikileaks? That was all a Russian operation to make the DNC and Hillary look bad. FAKE NEWS.
Rush, Hannity, Breitbart = FAKE NEWS. Spreading Russian propaganda in coordination of the neo-Nazi “alt-right.”
THAT is their post election takeaway.
RT is I believe the 3rd most widely read news site in the UK
Which is starving even more than us for unbiased news coverage
From the Bill:
(1) ACTIVE MEASURES BY RUSSIA TO EXERT COVERT INFLUENCE.—The term “active measures by Russia to exert covert influence” means activities intended to influence a person or government that are carried out in coordination with, or at the behest of, political leaders or the security services of the Russian Federation and the role of the Russian Federation has been hidden or not acknowledged publicly, including the following:
(A) Establishment or funding of a front group.
(B) Covert broadcasting.
(C) Media manipulation.
(D) Disinformation and forgeries.
(E) Funding agents of influence.
(F) Incitement and offensive counterintelligence.
(G) Assassinations.
(H) Terrorist acts.
So, they are targeting Russia for supposedly doing the exact same thing we did with Radio Free Europe.
They are creating a narrative.
That’s what they do: Make shite up.
The NARRATIVE: Americans are nice folks but a bit dull and gullible. We have to protect the public from ‘fake news’ which is creating a crisis.
CRISIS creates PUBLIC OUTCRY creates THEIR LAW.
Their justification is that this is Russian manipulation of our political process.
Just looking at the bill made my head spin. A bunch of attorneys had to have drawn it up and it goes on and on. No wonder some of these politicians don’t read the stuff. Just for that reason alone I wouldn’t want to be in politics.
Which is starving even more than us for unbiased news coverage
You are correct, however it would be good to clarify that the UK news sites censor and fake news about the UK, politicians and policy, they're happy to report news much more accurately about the US.
I understand that much of the media in the West is biased. In a free society, you’ve a right to be biased. You’ve a right to pursue your self interest and the interest of your party. What’s different about RT is it is pursuing the interest of an individual, the former KGB Colonel Putin, Russian President for Life. And it’s pursuing a full spectrum MISO - Military Information Support Operations - against the West. He’s setting up Trojan horses to undermine Western governments. He supports the Left and the Right to achieve his objective, as long as they’re willing to undermine the governments Putin wants to take down.
No surprise that a Democrat would think that telling the truth about Democrats is bad.
Have you watched rt or read their news about the war in Syria?
Sort it out
They are more truthful than our Pentagon
On world affairs: Lavrov vs kerry? Like a pit bull vs a poodle
We have no moral high ground to stand on to accuse a news agency of being a mouthpiece for one party, one agenda or even one individual
We in fact have multiple networks doing the same - with less honesty
Well, then, if you believe that, you’re already a perfect RT viewer. It used to be that the Left said such stuff about commie tyrants. Now, and I’m making an assumption here, it’s a certain type of conservative, eager to sell out his country out of despair or out of sympathy for another nation or for the shirtless Putin. Ideological traitors come in all colors.
We really don’t need censorship. Any principle worth having is able to withstand rational thought. If not it’s time to reconsider the principle and the thinking and values that underlie it. Promote critical thinking and common sense.
Maybe some of us just want honest news and recognize it when we read it
Name calling means you are not one of those
Stay tuned to the pentagon channel and mainstream networks, sparky.
The 1980’s are obviously your geopolitcal safe space
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