Noah Shachtman’s post in Wired about the Defense Department’s review of social media use, see Pentagon Wrestles with Possible Twitter, Facebook Ban. Noah cites an active duty officer who inadvertently raises a Smith-Mundt related issue:

The American people deserve to know what their wonderful sons and daughters are doing overseas, in harms way. It is our job to tell that to you as military professionals.

Yes, the American public does deserve to know what is going on overseas. If, however, such information came from a professional working in the State Department’s public diplomacy department or one of America’s international broadcasting properties, it would be considered nefarious propaganda. Accordingly, we may logically conclude that information provided by individuals through social media is more complete and trustworthy than if it came from the professional journalists, editors, and public diplomacy officers with whom we place our trust to tell the truth about what is going on overseas and here in America to audiences beyond our borders.

The quote also points out another minor detail worth highlighting considering current Congressional concern over Pentagon information activities (and here). It is the Defense Department and not the State Department that is capable of global communications. Whereas the State Department has two communication operations, one for domestic and the other for non-US audiences and neither (or rarely) shall the two meet (bureaucratically or operationally), the Defense Department public affairs has a global presence and increasingly recognizes that each member of the military is a communicator.

See also:

• Why is it OK to broadcast terrorist propaganda but not taxpayer-funded media reports? at ForeignPolicy.com by Matt Armstrong
• Washington Times Editorial: Fighting the War of Ideas
• House Appropriations Concerned Pentagon’s Role in Strategic Communication and Public Diplomacy
• Social Media as Public Diplomacy in Layalina Productions’ Perspectives by Matt Armstrong
• What does it mean if the demographic of two-thirds of your audience is not your target demographic?
• Broadcasting Board of Governors: empty seats at the public diplomacy table
• In America? Smith-Mundt means no SMS updates on the President’s Ghana speech for you! (Be sure to read the comments)
• Smith-Mundt: Myths, Facts, and Recommendations
• Comparing the Areas of Responsibility of State and Defense (Updated)