[Above image: Satellite image of damage after earthquake and tsunami at Fukushima Dai Ichi Power Plant, Japan March 16, 2011 (credit: DigitalGlobe)]
Project Censored (The News That Didn’t Make News) is out with Censored 2016: its new annual list of Most Censored news stories. Among them, says the journalism watchdog:
- The Fukushima, Japan nuclear meltdown continues despite claims.
- A secret NSA program codenamed AURORAGOLD spied on friendly countries and hundreds of companies.
- And the NSA’s own “Google-like” search engine can access 850 million personal records, including e-mails and chats.
[button link=”www.projectcensored.org”]Project Censored website[/button]
They aren’t censored stories but they are under-reported. Self-censorship, if you like, usually to serve a political cause. The Constitution forbids Congress from passing laws restricting the freedom of the press but the press is wary of exercising its freedom in directions that don’t lead to their own rewards and enrichment. They broadcast hot stories to create a carnival of crisis that pulls in viewers and revenue. The truth, they’ve decided, is something people might shun. The truth is not part of their business plan.
First, please define censorship.
You state “They aren’t censored stories…” but then reverse and go on to state it is “Self-censorship”.
Censorship does not necessarily involve governmental control, as censorship can be imposed by institutions, or other groups.
The legal definition of censorship includes:
Censorship –
The suppression or proscription of speech or writing that is deemed obscene, indecent, or unduly controversial.
Note the lack of specific government involvement in the definition.
Before trying to make any argument, one must first define pertinent terms to avoid fallacious logic and general misunderstanding.
The Constitution forbids many activities, yet which are actively being employed. The Constitution is not some magical document, solely capable of action, and/or of preventing abuses. The Constitution relies on moral, ethical leaders, and a vigilant public to enforce it’s intents, and keep the public servants in check.
Second, there have been, in fact, numerous acts by officials, including statutes, regulations, executive orders, court rulings, and ordinary decisions and actions taken while on duty and under color of law, which have been unconstitutional. Go here for a sample:
https://www.constitution.org/cs_abuse.htm
Please show me where Project Censored has determined any of their information to be the “truth”.
As stated in the mission:
“An informed public is crucial to democracy in at least two basic ways. First, without access to relevant news and opinion, people cannot fully participate in government. Second, without media literacy, people cannot evaluate for themselves the quality or significance of the news they receive. Censorship undermines democracy. Project Censored’s work—including our annual book, weekly radio broadcasts, campus affiliates program, and additional community events—highlights the important links among a free press, media literacy and democratic self-government.”
Thus, they aim to provide information. Not all information necessarily leads to the truth (read some Plato and Aristotle for more enlightenment on this), but in attempting to determine the truth, one should consider all aspects of a story or issue (or as many aspects as possible), and learn to employ logic, reason, and a variety of evidence in attempting to discern fact from fiction.
Ignoring a source simply because it runs in opposition to your currently held beliefs is a form of conformation bias, and ignorance. One can only continue to grow in an intellectual manner if they choose to remain open-minded, and grant consideration to opposing views.
On a side note – You should read up on the Dunning-Kruger Effect. You should also read up on the numerous cognitive biases.
Hi Sharyl, Congratulations on scoring a new outlet for the things we aren’t supposed to know.
The events and a demonstration of how far our feral (not a typo) government will go to achieve their goals of absolute control of everything is described on the linked page below but it isn’t about the Bundy Ranch matter but the plight of a neighboring rancher:
https://bundyranch.blogspot.com/2015/11/facts-events-in-hammond-case.html
I cannot vouch for the accuracy of all of that content but it certainly bears some scrutiny by someone with the necessary skills and resources.
Keep up the good work and pressure!
Steve Allison – Grantsville, WV