Censored 2003: The Top 25 Censored Stories, Peter Phillips and Project Censored, Seven Stories Press, 2002
Based at Sonoma State University in California, Project Censored is a program that yearly chooses the top 25 most underreported news stories in America. A national panel of judges whittles a list of more than 700 nominated stories down to those that are summarized here. Among the requirements are that the story must contain information that the American people have a need to know, it must be backed up with solid documentation and that it must have been previously published, either electronically or in print.
During Gulf War I, America deliberately destroyed Iraq's water system, causing the deaths of thousands of people, and did not allow importation of equipment to fix it. Convicted criminals, like Otto Reich, Elliot Abrams and John Poindexter now hold senior jobs in the Bush Administration. NAFTA has destroyed farming communities in America and abroad. New laws are restricting access to abortions here in America. The Bush energy plan threatens public health and the environment. American policies in Colombia support mass murder. The Bush Administration hampered an FBI investigation into the Bin Laden family before 9-11. Failing private prisons are bailed out by the federal government. Hear about these on the "all-news" channels?
The book also considers those stories which were covered in the media. Stories like that of Rosie O'Donnell's sexuality, Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman, Mariah Carey's nervous breakdown, the private lives of Prince Charles and his sons and the relationship between Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake very much deserve to be called Junk Food News. Also explored is a critical analysis of 9-11, before and after, how New York state exams censored literature, the big ten media giants, the rigors of self-censorship and a guide to independent media resources.
This is another excellent book from the people at Project Censored. It is required reading for everyone in the news business. I never fail to learn something from each volume. In an ideal world, the stories in this book are the ones that would be publicized from coast to coast.
Showing posts with label phillips. Show all posts
Showing posts with label phillips. Show all posts
Monday, October 29, 2012
Sunday, October 28, 2012
Censored 2009
Censored 2009: The Top 25 Censored Stories of 2007-2008, Peter Phillips et al (ed.), Seven Stories Press, 2008
Here is another compendium of news stories that were under-reported (or un-reported) by the mainstream news media.
Did you know that over 20,000 private companies are working with the FBI to collect and provide information on other Americans? According to a prestigious British polling group, the civilian death toll in Iraq since the 2003 invasion has topped the 1 million mark. The US Treasury Department now has the authority to seize the assets of anyone who is perceived to, directly or indirectly, threaten US operations in the Middle East (which could mean almost anyone). The American Psychological Association has been complicit in CIA torture. The No Child Left Behind Act has become a huge bonanza in the world of corporate profiteering.
At least nine billion dollars in cash have been unaccounted for since the early days of the Iraq occupation. Today, there are 27 million slaves in the world, more than at any other time in world history. They are not just in the Third World, but also in the developed world. Elliot Spitzer was not removed from office because of "personal indiscretions." He was target of a Wall Street and White House operation to silence an increasingly vocal critic of their handling of what became the present financial crisis.
It seems that there just was not enough air time or newspaper space for these stories, but there was abundant space for Lindsay Lohan, Brad and Angelina, Jessica Simpson, Alec Baldwin and David Hasselhoff. This book also explores the media coverage of the Military Commissions Act, healthcare and the 2008 campaign, American media bias against the lawfully elected Hamas Government in Gaza, the marketing of Gardasil as a "cure" for cancer, when it really isn't, Winter Soldier and the Pentagon's targeting of young people (including children).
This is an excellent book that shows just how "dumbed down" American news media has become. It is eye-opening reading and is highly recommended.
Here is another compendium of news stories that were under-reported (or un-reported) by the mainstream news media.
Did you know that over 20,000 private companies are working with the FBI to collect and provide information on other Americans? According to a prestigious British polling group, the civilian death toll in Iraq since the 2003 invasion has topped the 1 million mark. The US Treasury Department now has the authority to seize the assets of anyone who is perceived to, directly or indirectly, threaten US operations in the Middle East (which could mean almost anyone). The American Psychological Association has been complicit in CIA torture. The No Child Left Behind Act has become a huge bonanza in the world of corporate profiteering.
At least nine billion dollars in cash have been unaccounted for since the early days of the Iraq occupation. Today, there are 27 million slaves in the world, more than at any other time in world history. They are not just in the Third World, but also in the developed world. Elliot Spitzer was not removed from office because of "personal indiscretions." He was target of a Wall Street and White House operation to silence an increasingly vocal critic of their handling of what became the present financial crisis.
It seems that there just was not enough air time or newspaper space for these stories, but there was abundant space for Lindsay Lohan, Brad and Angelina, Jessica Simpson, Alec Baldwin and David Hasselhoff. This book also explores the media coverage of the Military Commissions Act, healthcare and the 2008 campaign, American media bias against the lawfully elected Hamas Government in Gaza, the marketing of Gardasil as a "cure" for cancer, when it really isn't, Winter Soldier and the Pentagon's targeting of young people (including children).
This is an excellent book that shows just how "dumbed down" American news media has become. It is eye-opening reading and is highly recommended.
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
Censored 1998: The News That Didn't Make the News
Censored 1998: The News That Didn't Make the News, Peter Phillips and Project
Censored, Seven Stories Press, 1998
This is a yearly chronicle of news stories that never made it to the mainstream media. For regular consumers of mainstream news, one might think that little happened in 1997 aside from Marv Albert, O.J. Simpson, Tiger Woods and Frank and Kathie Lee Gifford. They would be very wrong.
Among the subjects covered in this book: personal care and cosmetic products may be carcinogenic; exposing the global surveillance system; evidence is mounting of the dangers of fluoridation - with little benefit for your teeth; toxins and environmental pollution are contributing to human aggression in society; profits before people delays release of a new AIDS drug; and the number 1 censored story of 1997: the Clinton Administration is aggressively promoting US arms sales worldwide.
Censored is a good one-word reason why few, or none, of these stories were seen on the TV news or in the newspaper. Most American media are owned by a dozen (or fewer) corporations, much more interested in profit margins than in telling the public what it needs to know.
This book also contains hundreds of names and addresses of alternative organizations that deal with these issues on a daily basis.
Terms like important, vital, highly recommended and must read all apply to this book. Multiple copies of Censored 1998 belong in every newsroom in America.
Censored, Seven Stories Press, 1998
This is a yearly chronicle of news stories that never made it to the mainstream media. For regular consumers of mainstream news, one might think that little happened in 1997 aside from Marv Albert, O.J. Simpson, Tiger Woods and Frank and Kathie Lee Gifford. They would be very wrong.
Among the subjects covered in this book: personal care and cosmetic products may be carcinogenic; exposing the global surveillance system; evidence is mounting of the dangers of fluoridation - with little benefit for your teeth; toxins and environmental pollution are contributing to human aggression in society; profits before people delays release of a new AIDS drug; and the number 1 censored story of 1997: the Clinton Administration is aggressively promoting US arms sales worldwide.
Censored is a good one-word reason why few, or none, of these stories were seen on the TV news or in the newspaper. Most American media are owned by a dozen (or fewer) corporations, much more interested in profit margins than in telling the public what it needs to know.
This book also contains hundreds of names and addresses of alternative organizations that deal with these issues on a daily basis.
Terms like important, vital, highly recommended and must read all apply to this book. Multiple copies of Censored 1998 belong in every newsroom in America.
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