Legal Definitions - covert propaganda

Covert propaganda is when a government agency creates media materials and then secretly distributes them through a non-government outlet without disclosing the source. The purpose of covert propaganda is to mislead people about where the information is coming from. The agency intentionally hides its involvement and takes steps to ensure that its authorship is not revealed.

• A government agency creates a brochure supporting a new resource management plan and distributes it through a non-government outlet without displaying the agency's emblem or name. This is covert propaganda because the source is intentionally misleading.
• A columnist is paid by a government agency to write supportive commentary on a policy without disclosing the relationship to readers. This is covert propaganda because the source is intentionally hidden.
• A government agency pays journalists and academics to write articles supporting its foreign policy without disclosing their government contracts. This is covert propaganda because the source is intentionally concealed.

The examples illustrate how covert propaganda involves intentionally hiding the source of information to mislead people. It is important to disclose the source of information to maintain transparency and credibility.