Censored 2014

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Authors: Mickey Huff

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“Project Censored continues to be an invaluable resource in exposing and highlighting shocking stories that are routinely minimized or ignored by the corporate media. The vital nature of this work is underscored by this year's NSA leaks. The world needs more brave whistle blowers and independent journalists in the service of reclaiming democracy and challenging the abuse of power. Project Censored stands out for its commitment to such work.”—Deepa Kumar, author of
Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire
and associate professor of Media Studies and Middle Eastern Studies at Rutgers University

“Project Censored interrogates the present in the same way that Oliver Stone and I tried to interrogate the past in our
Untold History of the United States.
It not only shines a penetrating light on the American Empire and all its deadly, destructive, and deceitful actions, it does so at a time when the Obama administration is mounting a fierce effort to silence truth-tellers and whistleblowers. Project Censored provides the kind of fearless and honest journalism we so desperately need in these dangerous times.”—Peter Kuznick, professor of history, American University, and coauthor, with Oliver Stone, of
The Untold History of the United States

“At a time when the need for independent journalism and for media outlets unaffiliated with and untainted by the government and corporate sponsors is greater than ever, Project Censored has created a context for reporting the complete truths in all matters that matter. . . . It is therefore left to us to find sources for information we can trust. . . . It is in this task that we are fortunate to have an ally like Project Censored.”—Dahr Jamail

“Activist groups like Project Censored . . . are helping to build the media democracy movement. We have to challenge the powers that be and rebuild media from the bottom up.”—Amy Goodman

“Project Censored is one of the organizations that we should listen to, to be assured that our newspapers and our broadcasting outlets are practicing thorough and ethical journalism.”—Walter Cronkite

“[
Censored
] should be affixed to the bulletin boards in every newsroom in America. And, perhaps read aloud to a few publishers and television executives.”—Ralph Nader

“[
Censored
] offers devastating evidence of the dumbing-down of mainstream news in America. . . . Required reading for broadcasters, journalists, and well-informed citizens.”—
Los Angeles Times

“One of the most significant media research projects in the country.”—I. F. Stone

“A terrific resource, especially for its directory of alternative media and organizations. . . . Recommended for media collections.”
—Library Journal

“[Project Censored's] efforts to continue globalizing their reporting network could not be more timely or necessary.”—Kristina Borjesson

“A distant early warning system for society's problems.”—
American Journalism Review

“Project Censored goes where the media conformist angels fear to tread. . . . It's the kind of journalism we need.”—Norman Solomon

“Project Censored shines a spotlight on news that an informed public must have . . . a vital contribution to our democratic process.” —Rhoda H. Karpatkin, president, Consumer's Union

“Hot news, cold truths, utterly uncensored.”—Greg Palast

“Buy it, read it, act on it. Our future depends on the knowledge this collection of suppressed stories allows us.”—
San Diego Review

“Those who read and support Project Censored are in the know.”
—Cynthia McKinney

Copyright © 2013 by Mickey Huff and Andy Lee Roth

Foreword © 2013 by Sarah van Gelder

A Seven Stories Press First Edition

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored
in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form, by any means,
including mechanical, electronic, photocopying, recording or other
wise, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Seven Stories Press

140 Watts Street

New York, NY 10013

www.sevenstories.com

ISBN 978-1-60980-494-7 (paperback)

ISBN 978-1-60980-495-4(electronic)

ISSN 1074-5998

Book design by Jon Gilbert

Contents

FOREWORD: Solutions in a Time of Climate Meltdown:
The Most Censored (and Indispensible) Story by Sarah van Gelder

INTRODUCTION by Andy Lee Roth and Mickey Huff

SECTION I: CENSORED NEWS AND MEDIA ANALYSIS

INTRODUCTION

NOTE ON RESEARCH AND EVALUATION OF CENSORED NEWS STORIES

CHAPTER 1: Top 25 Censored Stories from 2012–13 and Censored News Clusters

The Top 25

Top 25 Story Summaries, compiled by Andy Lee Roth

1. Bradley Manning and the Failure of Corporate Media

2. Richest Global 1 Percent Hide Trillions in Tax Havens

3. Trans-Pacific Partnership Threatens a Regime of Corporate Global Governance

4. Obama's War on Whistleblowers

5. Hate Groups and Antigovernment Groups on Rise across US

6. Billionaires' Rising Wealth Intensifies Poverty and Inequality

7. Merchants of Death and Nuclear Weapons

8. Bank Interests Inflate Global Prices by 35 to 40 Percent

9. Icelanders Vote to Include Commons in Their Constitution

10. A “Culture of Cruelty” along Mexico–US Border

11. Bush Blocked Iran Nuclear Deal

12. The US Has Left Iraq with an Epidemic of Cancers and Birth Defects

13. A Fifth of Americans Go Hungry

14. Wireless Technology a Looming Health Crisis

15. Food Riots: The New Normal?

16. Journalism Under Attack Around the Globe

17. The Creative Commons Celebrates Ten Years of Sharing and Cultural Creation

18. Fracking Our Food Supply

19. The Power of Peaceful Revolution in Iceland

20. Israel Counted Minimum Calorie Needs in Gaza Blockade

21. Monsanto and India's “Suicide Economy”

22. Pennsylvania Law Gags Doctors to Protect Big Oil's “Proprietary Secrets”

23. Transaction Tax Helps Civilize Wall Street and Lower the National Debt

24. Widespread GMO Contamination: Did Monsanto Plant GMOs Before USDA Approval?

25. Israel Gave Birth Control to Ethiopian Immigrants Without Their Consent

Censored News Clusters

Whistleblowers and Gag Laws by Brian Covert

Plutocracy, Poverty, and Prosperity by James F. Tracy

Human Rights and Civil Liberties by Susan Rahman and Donna Nassor

Technologies and Ecologies of War by Targol Mesbah and Zara Zimbardo

Health and the Environment by Susan Rahman and Liliana Valdez-Madera

Iceland, the Power of Peaceful Revolution, and the Commons by Andy Lee Roth

CHAPTER 2: Déjà vu: what Happened to previous Censored Stories?
by Mickey Huff and Nolan Higdon with Andrew O'Connor-Watts,
Jen Eiden, Allen Kew, Emmie Ruhland, Aaron Hudson, Rex Yang,
Sam Park, Amitai Cohen, Michael Kolbe, and Matthew Carhart

CHAPTER 3: Can't Touch This: Junk Food News and News Abuse
by Mickey Huff, Michael Kolbe, Nolan Higdon, Sam Park,
Jennifer Eiden, and Kimberly Soiero

CHAPTER 4: Media Democracy in Action: Free Press and
Free Speech Advocates that Make a Difference
compiled by Mickey Huff, with contributions by Daniel Ellsberg, On
Civil Courage; Josh Wolf, Journalism that Matters; William Creely,
Foundation for Individual Rights in Education; Christopher M. Finan,
American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression; Acacia O'Connor,
National Coalition Against Censorship and Kids' Right to Read; Tony Diaz,
Librotraficante; Beau Hodai, DBA Press; Sunsara Taylor, Stop Patriarchy;
John Collins,
The Weave;
and Ken Walden, What the World Could Be

SECTION II: CRITICAL THINKING, MEDIA LITERACY, AND
NARRATIVES OF POWER

INTRODUCTION

CHAPTER 5: Digging Deeper: Politico-Corporate Media Manipulation,
Critical Thinking, and Democracy
by Elliot D. Cohen

CHAPTER 6: Diffusing Conspiracy Panics: On the Public Use of Reason in the Twenty-First Century Truth Emergency
by James F. Tracy

CHAPTER 7: Censorship That Dares Not Speak its Name: The Strange Silencing of Liberal America
by John Pilger

CHAPTER 8: Screening the Homeland: How Hollywood Fantasy
Mediates State Fascism in the US of Empire
by Rob Williams

SECTION III: CASE STUDIES OF “UNHISTORY” IN THE
MAKING—AND HOW TO BUILD A BETTER FUTURE

INTRODUCTION

CHAPTER 9: Exposing The Financial Core of the Transnational Capitalist Class
by Peter Phillips and Brady Osborne

CHAPTER 10: Apple Exposed: The Untold Story of Globalization
by Nicki Lisa Cole and Tara Krishna

CHAPTER 11: The “New” American Imperialism in Africa: Secret Sahara Wars and AFRICOM
by Brian Martin Murphy

CHAPTER 12: The Sixth Mass Extinction
by Julie Andrzejewski and John C. Alessio

CHAPTER 13: The New Story: Why We Need One and How to Create It
by Michael Nagler

Acknowledgments and Judges

Report From The Media Freedom Foundation President
by Peter Phillips

How To Support Project Censored

No News Is Good News
by Marcia Annenberg, cover artist

About The Editors

Index

We dedicate Censored 2014 to truth-tellers, past and present,
who speak fearlessly to defend the commons of knowledge and
the freedoms of the people. Your example inspires our work
and gives purpose to our shared future.

There's a time when the operation of the machine becomes so odious, makes you so sick at heart, that you can't take part. You can't even passively take part. And you've got to put your bodies upon the gears and upon the wheels . . . upon the levers, upon all the apparatus, and you've got to make it stop. And you've got to indicate to the people who run it, to the people who own it, that unless you're free, the machine will be prevented from working at all.

MARIO SAVIO
University of California–Berkeley
December 2, 1964

Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.

THE UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF
HUMAN RIGHTS, ARTICLE
19
United Nations General Assembly
adopted 1948

In Memoriam

BRIAN MARTIN MURPHY
July 14, 1948–June 14, 2013
Intrepid journalist, cherished colleague, inspiring teacher,
fearless truth-teller

As a Canadian journalist covering the wars in southern Africa for Inter Press Service during the 1980s, I saw Project Censored was one of the few media outlets in the US consistently featuring coverage of those underreported wars. I paid attention.

When I was working with the filmmaking company Media Education Foundation, part of a national initiative defining and promoting media literacy, the publication of Project Censored's annual book was one of our reference points.

When I joined the faculty of the Department of Communication Studies at Niagara University, we decided to completely redesign the program as a degree in Communicating for Social Justice. In ten years, that redesign has become a model for many other communication departments.

At every step, Project Censored's work has been an example of the fearless truth-telling to which all social-justice advocates and students of journalism should be exposed. Today, Project Censored is integrated into our curriculum, with at least one course a year doing research to contribute to the list of contenders for the Top 25 underreported stories. Our students' successes are a testament to Project Censored's value as a media literacy teaching tool, introducing a whole new generation to what
real
press freedom looks like.

—Brian Martin Murphy
July 30, 2012

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