Doctor Spin and Mr. Hyde

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Ever since September 11, politicians like Illinois Congressman Henry Hyde have been wondering why "the popular press overseas, often including the government-owned media, daily depict the United States as a force for evil." Hyde thinks that "public diplomacy" (the government's term for "public relations") can turn the tide. He is sponsoring House Resolution 3969, aka the "Freedom Promotion Act of 2002," which instructs the U.S. Secretary of State to "make public diplomacy an integral component in the planning and execution of United States foreign policy" and to establish "fully capable multimedia programming and distribution capacity including satellite, Internet, and other services, and also including the capability to acquire and produce audio and video feeds and Internet streaming to foreign news organizations." In addition to sponsoring cultural exchanges and programs to train foreign journalists, the bill sets aside $135 million to launch what Hyde calls "an ambitious effort into television broadcasting."