For anyone imbibing US corporate news media, the outcome is certain: they will be treated to a zero-calorie infotainment diet served on traditional feeding intervals at the networks, or for the insatiable junk food news consumer, round the clock cable news menus heavy on advertiser appetizers and tabloid dessert specials. This is a recipe for [...]

The late New York University media scholar Neil Postman once said about America, “We are the best entertained least informed society in the world.” From Jessica Simpson’s weight and Brangelina’s escapades, to Britney Spears’ sister and the Obama’s First Puppy, Americans are fed a steady “news” diet of useless information laden with personal anecdotes, scandals, and gossip. Since the middle of the 1980’s, Project Censored at Sonoma State University has annually researched this phenomenon. Topics and in-depth reports that matter little to anyone in any meaningful way are given massive amounts of media coverage in the corporate media. In recent years, this has only become more obvious.

An Inter Press Service story over last weekend illustrated the degree of bias in US coverage of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. The report claimed, “In addition to disproportionate official representation, the grave disparity in casualties between the two sides was usually played down or not mentioned at all by newscasters. Nearly 1,300 Palestinians and 13 [...]

Though many hoped for a new era of change this past week, it seems it wasn’t in terms of acceptance of gays and lesbians in public positions, especially religious ones. The Sunday prior to the swearing in of the 44th President of the United States, Barack Obama, the openly gay Episcopal Bishop, Eugene Robinson, [...]

This past week, Free Speech Radio News (FSRN) did a brief overview of Project Censored, the thirty-two year old media research group at Sonoma State University, in a year end review segment. In October, Project Censored released its annual review of last year’s top censored stories. Additionally, on December 6th, Project Censored was [...]

I say the same thing to my classes every semester.  Facts matter.  All of them.  In our purportedly free society (some restrictions apply- see the USA PATRIOT Act and Military Commissions Act for details) we should think our way to reasoned conclusions, not be cowed and manipulated by emotional pablum that spews from the corporate [...]