#49 Matt Armstrong on the Smith-Mundt Act

<span style="font-weight: 400;">During this episode, <strong><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/mountainrunner/">Matt Armstong</a></strong>, who was formerly a Governor on the Broadcasting Board of Governors (since renamed the <a href= "https://www.usagm.gov/"><strong>U.S. Agency for Global Media</strong></a>), discusses the Smith-Mundt Act and public diplomacy. Matt is also the author of the upcoming book: The Right to Know: the War of Words and the Origins and Evolution of the Smith-Mundt Act. Also known as the U.S. Information and Educational Exchange Act of 1948, Smith-Mundt was developed to regulate broadcasting of programs for foreign audiences produced under guidance by the State Department, and it prohibited domestic dissemination of materials produced by such programs. The <strong><a href= "https://www.congress.gov/bill/112th-congress/house-bill/5736">Smith-Mundt Modernization Act of 2012</a></strong> allowed for materials produced by the State Department and the U.S. Agency for Global Media to be disseminated within the United States. Matt makes the case that, ironically, there is a significant amount of disinformation related to the Smith-Mundt Act itself and asserts that there’s a gross misunderstanding of the role of information in our foreign policy. Coupled with general risk aversion and a lack of vision for what tomorrow should look like, the United States appears to be lacking a sense of urgency. As just one example, the Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs position--essentially the chief international information operations officer of the State Department--has been vacant 40% of the time since 1999.</span> <strong><a href= "https://information-professionals.org/episode/cognitive-crucible-episode-49"> Link to full show notes and resources</a></strong> <p><strong>Guest Bio</strong>: Matt Armstrong is a former Governor of the Broadcasting Board of Governors, now the US Agency for Global Media, a former executive director of the US Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy, and is