EOTO blog post #9

The Smith-Mundt Act, also known as the U.S. Information and Education Exchange Act, was passed in 1948 and was created to "promote a better understanding of the United States in other countries, and to increase a mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries." 

Karl E. Mundt, 1945 

The Smith–Mundt Act was first introduced by Congressman Karl E. Mundt in 1945 and was signed into law by President Harry S. Truman on January 27, 1948. This Act was first created to regulate the broadcasting of information to a foreign audience through the State Department. It prohibited the domestic distribution of this content in the U.S. This law targeted independent networks of the U.S. government called the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG). BBG offers some programs: Radio Liberty, Radio Free Europe, Voice of America, Radio Free Asia, and Middle East Broadcasting Networks. Since the bill was passed in 1948, BBG had only been promoted to share its content with foreign listeners due to the Smith-Mundt Act. 

The Smith–Mundt Act was first challenged by J. William Fulbright in 1972, where he proposed that the U.S. was funding propaganda. He argued that Voice of America, BBG's oldest and most popular network, "should be given the opportunity to take [its] rightful place in the graveyard of Cold War relics." After this statement was made, more restrictions on the dissemination of content were implemented.

The Smith–Mundt Act was rechallenged in 2010 when Congressman Adam Smith and Congressman Mac Thornberry worked together to sponsor the Smith-Mundt Modernization Act. This Act was proposed in 2010 but would not get passed until 2012, when it was adopted into legislation. This new Modernization Act would allow people across America to see and hear valuable news produced by BBC and its accomplished journalists. The new Modernization Act considers content platforms that are not restricted by national boundaries, including satellite broadcasting, mobile delivery, and the internet. This new modernization to the Smith–Mundt Act would facilitate better reach and audience engagement and provide transparency into publicly-funded broadcasting. 

The implications of the Smith–Mundt Act are harmful because it outlawed public broadcasting that was aimed at the United States. Before the Modernization Act was passed in 2012, many Americans believed that the Smith–Mundt Act violated their right to a free press and media outlined in the constitution. This rebellious mindset led to over two hundred attending the Smith‐Mundt Symposium held at the Reserve Officers Association on Capitol Hill on January 13, 2009. 

Reserve Officers Association 

This Symposium was attended by a diverse group of Departments of State, Homeland Security, stakeholders, observers from Congress, and practitioners. The real purpose of this gathering was to "facilitate an interagency, public‐private, and inter‐tribal discussion about the purpose, structure, and direction of America's global engagement." The Symposium was presented through a series of panel discussions structured to start with the past, move to the present, and discuss the features of America's press and national security. This Symposium served the purpose of raising awareness which would later influence the Smith-Mundt Modernization Act of 2012. 

While researching the Smith-Mundt Act, it becomes clear that the upsides to the creation of this Act lie in national and public safety. This was because Congress did not trust the State Department to promote ideals and content to the American public. Emily Metzgar, a professor at Indiana University school of journalism and a former U.S. diplomat, said that the Smith–Mundt Act was not created to protect the public from government propaganda. She had the opinion that the "record suggests it was really more about protecting a nascent broadcast industry in the United States right after World War II, and it was over time that more and more politics got interjected into the discussion."  

    The downside of the Smith–Mundt Act was that it shielded American people from viewing content produced by its own government. Many people felt this Act violated their constitutional rights and prevented them from viewing the media they chose. 

    The Smith–Mundt Act affected our society negatively because it forced people to look for the content censored by the government online. While the Smith–Mundt Act prevented the broadcasting of information domestically, this content was readily available online through various websites and blogs. Because people were forced to use other platforms to gain this information, many individuals were exposed to false information that was not produced by a credible source. 

    The Smith–Mundt Act had the potential to alter not only my life but also the lives of my friends and family. This Act, if it had not been modernized, would have prevented me from viewing content produced by the government on the broadcasting network. This is a form of government censorship that goes against the constitution. Not only would I have access to information produced by my own government, but I would also have to search online for any information that had been censored. 

In conclusion, the Smith–Mundt Act was the least understood and most influential Act affecting national security. While it might not have been apparent during its creation, the Smith–Mundt Act had affected not only individuals but also school districts and educational programs since the beginning of the Cold War.