As a former journalist, I've always been uneasy with the idea that the media is in cahoots with big government to suppress real news stories. It does happen, no question. But why it happens is often in doubt.Each year however, I read the reports from Project Censored, which tracks stories of interest that don't get any play in the US media, and I wonder what is going on.
This year's edition is no different. There are some pretty amazing examples of stories that seem worthy of the media's attention but haven't received any. It makes for interesting reading, no matter what you might think is the reason for why you haven't heard about these stories before.
One caveat worth mentioning. I'd say these stories are usually presented from the "left" side of the political spectrum. On the other side of the ledger, there are plenty of stories coming out of the "right wing" side of the spectrum that are also not being widely reported.
If I learned anything as a reporter it was that is always -- always -- two sides to every story. And sometimes more. That's why reporting is such hard work.
Here's the link to a story from the San Francisco Guardian, about this year's Project Censored report.
In case you're wondering, there was a Canadian equivalent, called News Watch Canada. It's run out of Simon Fraser University. But although the web site is still up, the most recent report is from 2001. If anyone knows more about this, please add a comment about it or drop me a line.
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