Government sponsored hacking was started by the CIA and the FBI. The CIA used this, to spy on their enemies and even on their allies. Russia and China are late entrants to this sector, but they have caught up pretty fast.
and american tactics in those departments, be that hacking or misinformation, are still to me most despicable.
russia and china are doing what any russia or china would.
The Americans have even converted the Hollywood movies into propaganda machines. Look at the movies such as American Sniper. The amount of propaganda in these movies will put those made by Leni Riefenstahl to shame. A perfect example is here: