3 ms·

If I'm not mistaken, that money came under controversy because it was allocated but never spent: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/04/world/europe/state-departmen

by danso 8y ago

If I'm not mistaken, that money came under controversy because it was allocated but never spent: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/04/world/europe/state-department-russia-global-engagement-center.html https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/04/world/europe/state-depart... So how could it be related to any hiring or layoff trends in the media industry? And that's assuming this money was allowed to be used as direct subsidy to non-government news outlets.

creaghpatr 8y ago
You are confusing that with money that was originally allocated by the Pentagon, not S.3274 >And that's assuming this money was allowed to be used as direct subsidy to non-government news outlets. That is not an assumption, that is what the text of the bill explicitly states: >There is authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary of State for fiscal years 2017 and 2018 $20,000,000 to support the Center and provide grants or contracts of financial support to civil society groups, journalists, nongovernmental organizations, federally funded research and development centers, private companies, or academic institutions for the following purposes: 17 (A) To support local independent media 18 who are best placed to refute foreign 19 disinformation and manipulation in their own 20 communities. 21 (B) To collect and store examples in print, 22 online, and social media, disinformation, misin23 formation, and propaganda directed at the 24 United States and its allies and partners. 1 (C) To analyze tactics, techniques, and 2 procedures of foreign government information 3 warfare with respect to disinformation, misin4 formation, and propaganda. 5 (D) To support efforts by the Center to 6 counter efforts by foreign governments to use 7 disinformation, misinformation, and propa8 ganda to influence the policies and social and 9 political stability of the United States and 10 United States allies and partners. It specifically specifies nongovernmental and private organizations in the text of the bill. And it's coincidental that these organizations just started laying off employees in bulk at the start of 2019.
- danso 8y ago
  > You are confusing that with money that was originally allocated by the Pentagon, not S.3274 From the Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Countering_Foreign_Propaganda_and_Disinformation_Act https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Countering_Foreign_Propaganda_... > n the version of the bill incorporated into the 2017 National Defense Authorization Act, the U.S. Congress would ask the United States Secretary of State to collaborate with the United States Secretary of Defense and other relevant Federal agencies to create a Global Engagement Center (GEC) to fight against propaganda from foreign governments, and publicize the nature of ongoing foreign propaganda and disinformation operations against the U.S. and other countries Seems like the bill -- which was part of the National Defense Authorization Act -- itself said that the money should come from the Pentagon. So how am I conflating things? edit: Also worth noting that these organizations did not just start laying off people this year. Nearly every year, or two years, these organizations have big layoffs. Here's Buzzfeed from late 2017: https://www.cnbc.com/2017/11/29/buzzfeed-layoffs-restructuring.html https://www.cnbc.com/2017/11/29/buzzfeed-layoffs-restructuri...
  - creaghpatr 8y ago
    >Tillerson’s decision comes after POLITICO reported that he was holding off on using the money despite the desire of Republicans and Democrats to see it spent. >Almost $20 million of the $60 million was already in the State Department’s coffers and will be released to the center's officials to fight propaganda by terrorist groups such as the Islamic State. Tillerson also approved a request for a transfer of $40 million from the Pentagon to the center so it can fight state-sponsored propaganda. https://www.politico.com/story/2017/08/31/rex-tillerson-funding-russian-propaganda-242224 https://www.politico.com/story/2017/08/31/rex-tillerson-fund... Both the Pentagon money and the original S.3274 amount were authorized, albeit after some foot dragging by Tillerson. That would seem to undercut my speculation that it went and was spent by news orgs, we'd have to figure out who the GEC's non-governmental partners were/are. I'm not sure how to look that up.
    - creaghpatr 8y ago
      It gets weirder, the money was released but then maybe not? In any case, I'm gonna go ahead and guess my original theory was wrong. https://toinformistoinfluence.com/2018/09/23/global-engagement-center-lacks-financing-and-mandate/ https://toinformistoinfluence.com/2018/09/23/global-engageme...

by danso 8y ago

creaghpatr 8y ago

You are confusing that with money that was originally allocated by the Pentagon, not S.3274 >And that's assuming this money was allowed to be used as direct subsidy to non-government news outlets. That is not an assumption, that is what the text of the bill explicitly states: >There is authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary of State for fiscal years 2017 and 2018 $20,000,000 to support the Center and provide grants or contracts of financial support to civil society groups, journalists, nongovernmental organizations, federally funded research and development centers, private companies, or academic institutions for the following purposes: 17 (A) To support local independent media 18 who are best placed to refute foreign 19 disinformation and manipulation in their own 20 communities. 21 (B) To collect and store examples in print, 22 online, and social media, disinformation, misin23 formation, and propaganda directed at the 24 United States and its allies and partners. 1 (C) To analyze tactics, techniques, and 2 procedures of foreign government information 3 warfare with respect to disinformation, misin4 formation, and propaganda. 5 (D) To support efforts by the Center to 6 counter efforts by foreign governments to use 7 disinformation, misinformation, and propa8 ganda to influence the policies and social and 9 political stability of the United States and 10 United States allies and partners. It specifically specifies nongovernmental and private organizations in the text of the bill. And it's coincidental that these organizations just started laying off employees in bulk at the start of 2019.

danso 8y ago
> You are confusing that with money that was originally allocated by the Pentagon, not S.3274 From the Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Countering_Foreign_Propaganda_and_Disinformation_Act https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Countering_Foreign_Propaganda_... > n the version of the bill incorporated into the 2017 National Defense Authorization Act, the U.S. Congress would ask the United States Secretary of State to collaborate with the United States Secretary of Defense and other relevant Federal agencies to create a Global Engagement Center (GEC) to fight against propaganda from foreign governments, and publicize the nature of ongoing foreign propaganda and disinformation operations against the U.S. and other countries Seems like the bill -- which was part of the National Defense Authorization Act -- itself said that the money should come from the Pentagon. So how am I conflating things? edit: Also worth noting that these organizations did not just start laying off people this year. Nearly every year, or two years, these organizations have big layoffs. Here's Buzzfeed from late 2017: https://www.cnbc.com/2017/11/29/buzzfeed-layoffs-restructuring.html https://www.cnbc.com/2017/11/29/buzzfeed-layoffs-restructuri...
- creaghpatr 8y ago
  >Tillerson’s decision comes after POLITICO reported that he was holding off on using the money despite the desire of Republicans and Democrats to see it spent. >Almost $20 million of the $60 million was already in the State Department’s coffers and will be released to the center's officials to fight propaganda by terrorist groups such as the Islamic State. Tillerson also approved a request for a transfer of $40 million from the Pentagon to the center so it can fight state-sponsored propaganda. https://www.politico.com/story/2017/08/31/rex-tillerson-funding-russian-propaganda-242224 https://www.politico.com/story/2017/08/31/rex-tillerson-fund... Both the Pentagon money and the original S.3274 amount were authorized, albeit after some foot dragging by Tillerson. That would seem to undercut my speculation that it went and was spent by news orgs, we'd have to figure out who the GEC's non-governmental partners were/are. I'm not sure how to look that up.
  - creaghpatr 8y ago
    It gets weirder, the money was released but then maybe not? In any case, I'm gonna go ahead and guess my original theory was wrong. https://toinformistoinfluence.com/2018/09/23/global-engagement-center-lacks-financing-and-mandate/ https://toinformistoinfluence.com/2018/09/23/global-engageme...