The State Department announced Monday the long-awaited start of a $40 million plan to counter foreign propaganda and disinformation. That plan, however, appears to consist of asking other people for good ideas, and according to CNN, State Department officials are avoiding mentioning Russia by name. The State Department's official press release only refers to "foreign nations."
CNN:
In Monday's announcement, the State Department said the $40 million will be used, in part, to create an Information Access Fund that will support public and private partners who focus on fighting back against foreign disinformation.
"Civil society groups, media content providers, nongovernmental organizations, federally funded research and development centers, private companies, and academic institutions will be eligible to compete for grants" from the GEC [Global Engagement Center] to counter propaganda and disinformation, the department said in a statement.
(...)
The GEC is a multiagency effort created in 2016 and housed at the State Department. It replaced an earlier group that was charged with fighting online messaging from terror groups such as the Islamic State, but was frequently criticized for being ineffectual.
The State Department's first step to combatting Russia's information operations is essentially to crowdsource how to do it ...
"We're open to fund any program that's effective," [Steve Goldstein, undersecretary for public diplomacy at the State Department] said. "It requires many different methods to make a dent in this issue — algorithms, TV, radio, social media... working with tech companies.
“It is not merely a defensive posture that we should take; we also need to be on the offensive,” he said.
Goldstein admitted that the approach is different and "not something we've done before," but State Department officials want to make sure they don't miss efforts that might work.
CNN explains the State Department has had access to the $40 million for a while now but made no earlier move to ask for it.
The funding for the State Department's Global Engagement Center had been a source of tension between Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and lawmakers -- not because it wasn't available, but because Tillerson waited months before requesting the money from the Department of Defense.
Congress had mandated the initiative to counter propaganda and disinformation after Russia's meddling in the 2016 US election. Lawmakers and career foreign service officers were deeply critical when Tillerson didn't move to use any of the funding, and cited his inaction as another example of the agency's dysfunction.
State Department launches $40 million initiative to counter Russia election meddling (USA Today)
State Department touts counter-propaganda funds without mentioning Russia (CNN)