Interesting thought - I'm not sure. My guess is it's a combination of - increasing publicity of the propaganda (which I guess is a bit like your comment that

Interesting thought - I'm not sure. My guess is it's a combination of - increasing publicity of the propaganda (which I guess is a bit like your comment that it legitimises the claims) - if the propaganda is not already in the open, how does the government target the "debunking" without increasing exposure - whether debunking the propaganda would have the desired effect anyway - "confirmation bias" causes people who evidence against a position to reinforce that position in their minds?