In his mid-century "Psychological Warfare" Linebarger (involved in WWII on the winning side and China on the losing) notes that everyone has been playing the same game since at least biblical times, and he apologises for only providing 'enemy' examples of 'grey' and 'black' propaganda, saying that 'friendly' examples would have been much the same but were unavailable/unsuitable for publication...
> [...] saying that 'friendly' examples would have been much the same but were unavailable/unsuitable for publication...
I agree in that it is counterproductive to not educate people about propaganda (or active measures, public relations, or whatever term you want to use) done by "friends". If the present day is too sensitive politically, there would be a treasure trove of data for this task in national archives of all countries. After all, the techniques and tactics are pretty much similar throughout the globe and historical eras.
"But if they respond too vociferously, they may be crediting active measures with greater influence over public opinion than is the case."
"The key should be a steady flow of factual information to expose active measures when this can be done in a credible manner."
"Few appreciate being gulled by the deliberate distortion of news."
"The soundest strategy for dealing with disinformation thus has two main ingredients: a steady flow of facts and lots of patience."
Yet, I do wonder whether these strategies still work in 2023, not least because of domestic actors playing the same game.