Mediaboss Marketing

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

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

Hot news, cold truths, utterly uncensored. Greg Palast

In another home run for Project Censored, Censored 2013 shows how the American public has been bamboozled, snookered, and dumbed down by the corporate media. It is chock-full of ah-ha moments where we understand just how weve been fleeced by banksters, stripped of our civil liberties, and blindly led down a path of never-ending war. Medea Benjamin, author of Drone Warfare, cofounder of Global Exchange and CODEPINK.

Buy it, read it, act on it. Our future depends on the knowledge this col-lection of suppressed stories allows us. San Diego Review

The staff of Project Censored presents their annual compilation of the previous years 25 stories most overlooked by the mainstream media along with essays about censorship and its consequences. The stories include an 813% rise in hate and anti-government groups since 2008, human rights violations by the US Border Patrol, and Israeli doctors injecting Ethiopian immigrants with birth control without their consent. Other stories focus on the environment, like the effects of fracking and Monsantos GMO seeds. The writers point out misinformation and outright deception in the media, including CNN relegating factual accounts to the opinion section and the whitewashing of Margaret Thatchers career following her death in 2013, unlike Hugo Chavez, who was routinely disparaged in the coverage following his death. One essay deals with the proliferation of Junk Food News, in which CNN and Fox News devoted more time to Gangnam Style than the renewal of Ugandas Kill the Gays law. Another explains common media manipulation tactics and outlines practices to becoming a more engaged, free-thinking news consumer or even citizen journalist. Rob Williams remarks on Hollywoods deep and abiding role as a popular propaganda provider via Argo and Zero Dark Thirty. An expose on working conditions in Chinese Apple factories is brutal yet essential reading. This book is evident of Project Censoreds profoundly important work in educating readers on current events and the skills needed to be a critical thinker. -Publishers Weekly said about Censored 2014 (Oct.)

For ages, Ive dreamed of a United States where Project Censored isnt necessary, where these crucial stories and defining issues are on the front page of the New York Times, the cover of Time, and in heavy rotation on CNN. That world still doesnt exist, but we always have Project Censoreds yearly book to pull together the most important things the corporate media ignored, missed, or botched. Russ Kick, author of You Are Being Lied To, Everything You Know Is Wrong, and the New York Times bestselling series The Graphic Canon.

[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

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

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

Project Censored brings to light some of the most important stories of the year that you never saw or heard about. This is your chance to find out what got buried. Diane Ravitch, author of The Death and Life of the Great American School System.

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

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 years 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

Most journalists in the United States believe the press here is free. That grand illusion only helps obscure the fact that, by and large, the US corporate press does not report whats really going on, while tuning out, or laughing off, all those who try to do just that. Americansnow more than everneed those outlets that do labor to report some truth. Project Censored is not just among the bravest, smartest, and most rigorous of those outlets, but the only one thats wholly focused on those stories that the corporate press ignores, downplays, and/or distorts. This latest book is therefore a must read for anyone who cares about this country, its tottering economy, andmost important whats now left of its democracy. Mark Crispin Miller, author, professor of media ecology, New York University.

Censored 2014 is a clarion call for truth telling. Not only does this volume highlight fearless speech in fateful times, it connect the dots between the key issues we face, lauds our whistleblowers and amplifies their voices, and shines light in the dark places of our government that most need exposure. Daniel Ellsberg, The Pentagon Papers

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

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 Cen-sored. Dahr Jamail

Project Censored shines a spotlight on news that an informed public must have... a vital contribution to our democratic process. Rhoda H. Karpatkin, president, Consumers Union

Go here to see the original:
Project Censored - The News that Didn't Make the News and Why

The Arango Orillac Building where the Mossack Fonseca law firm is situated at inPanama City. The absence of any prominent US institutions or citizens in the first list of names revealed by the ICIJ has spurred rumours ranging from a conspiracy to media bias. (REUTERS)

From China censoring its social media to the Kremlin alleging a CIA conspiracy, the Panama Papers revelations have caused major ripples through global powers, with implicated world leaders denying allegations of wrongdoing.

The Panama Papers on Monday brought to light the shadowy world of offshore companies and how the rich and the famous hide their wealth from public view, with its first list of names including heads of state, celebrities, prominent businessmen and football stars.

Spearheaded by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), and worked on by over 100 media organisations through the world, the leaks place a Panama-based law firm, Mossack Fonseca, at the centre of the tangled web of shell companies and paper trails.

However, the information, or the blank spaces in between, has led to sharp criticism on social media, with many commenting on the lack of US names or banks in the list. Conspiracy theorists allege a western plot to destabilise Russian president Vladimir Putin, while others raised more serious concerns of media bias.

Corporate media protecting the 1%?

The only direct US link to the Panama Papers so far is that of financial writer and life coach Marianna Olszewski - who allegedly employed a 90-year-old British man as a stand in to mask funds she had confidentially invested in an offshore company.

The lack of any prominent US citizen or institutions name appearing on the list - that too despite the ICIJ listing 617 middlemen that Mossack Fonseca worked with in the United States - has begun to attract conspiracy theories and criticism.

One of the most searing criticisms has been that of Craig Murray, the former British ambassador to Uzbekistan, and a prominent human rights figure.

In a blog post on Monday, Murray said that German daily Suddeutsche Zeitung had made the dreadful mistake of turning to the western corporate media to publicise the results.

In consequence the first major story, published today by the Guardian, is all about Vladimir Putin and a cellist on the fiddle. As it happens I believe the story and have no doubt Putin is bent, Murray wrote.

But why focus on Russia? Russian wealth is only a tiny minority of the money hidden away with the aid of Mossack Fonseca. In fact, it soon becomes obvious that the selective reporting is going to stink.

Do not expect a genuine expose of western capitalism. The dirty secrets of western corporations will remain unpublished.

Murray points to the US-based ICIJs funders as being a reason why no American politician or public figure has been named so far.

Their funders include the Ford Foundation, the Carnegie Endowment, The Rockefeller Family Fund, the WK Kellogg Fund and the Open Society Foundation (Soros) - all significant (and significantly wealthy) industrial and corporate entities.

I know Russia and China are corrupt, you dont have to tell me that, writes Murray. What if you look at things that we might, here in the West, be able to rise up and do something about?

While Murrays points have more substance than, say, conspiracy theorists on social media, its more likely that no United States citizens have been named because of the sheer volume of data that needs to be analysed.

Nonetheless, questions about media bias have been raised onTwitter.

I'm not saying #Putin isn't guilty of any wrongdoing, I'm just pointing out the framing of the #PanamaPapers suggests a clear media bias.

World leaders actually named in the #PanamaPapers but Putin, who is NOT named, is used by all media covering story? pic.twitter.com/nthb26QtTE

These #Panama leaks don't mention Putin once. Yet MSM have somehow found him guilty of multiple crimes. Propaganda overload! ?? #BlamePutin

Read: Panama Papers: N Korea shell companies funding nuclear weapons surface

Its bullshit

Among the most high-profile names implicated in the leaks was Russian president Vladimir Putin. While the Russian leader was not directly named in the Panama Papers, some of his closest associates including Sergei Roldugin, godfather to Putins daughter Maria, and Yuri Kovalchuk, Bank Rossiyas biggest shareholder, were.

The leak exposes the offshore holdings of 12 current and former world leaders and reveals how associates of Russian President Vladimir Putin secretly shuffled as much as $2 billion through banks and shadow companies, the ICIJ wrote, while The Guardian on Monday led with how Putins closest friends had operated a network of companies and banks to allegedly create a slush fund for the former-KGB spy.

Read:Journalists working on Panama papers ex-CIA operative: Kremlin

Russia, unsurprisingly, has denied the allegations, with a spokesperson for the Kremlin saying that the leaks were a result of a CIA-backed anti-Putin campaign; a statement which has found vociferous support among Twitter users

Only very naive and stupid people open off-shore accounts in #Panama which is controlled by the CIA. #PanamaLeaks

.

Its obvious the main aim of this dump is our president in the context of parliamentary elections and, in the longer term, presidential elections... Its obvious the barbs of this attack are directed against our country and, personally, against our president, Dmitry Peskov said on Monday, according to RCB News.

The degree of Putinophobia has reached such a level that youre just not allowed to say good things about Russia or about Russias successes. The bad things that you have to talk about, Peskov added.

One of the few other Russian officials to address the sensational claims was Andrei Kostin, the head of state-owned banking giant VTB.

Mr. Putin was never involved. Its bullshit, Kostin said in an interview with Bloomberg on Monday.

Watch | The Panama Papers leak explained

Chinese censorship

Meanwhile, China also appears to be censoring social media posts about the Panama Papers leak which has named several members of Chinas elite, including President Xi Jinpings brother-in-law, Deng Jiagui.

The ICIJ shows Deng as having registered two companies in 2009; around about the same time that Jinping was rising in power.

An investigative report by Bloomberg News in 2012 revealed that Deng and his wife had hundreds of millions of dollars in real estate, share holdings and other assets.

Hundreds of posts on networks such as Sina Weibo and Wechat on the topic have been deleted since Monday morning.

The website Freeweibo.com, which actively tracks censorship on Weibo, listed Panama as the most censored term on the network.

The American angle

Given that the ICIJ has listed 617 middlemen in the US, it would be surprising, to say the least, if American figures were not linked to the growing scandal.

The law firm, which helped its clients (including firms subject to sanctions, such as in North Korea and Syria) set up offshore companies, came into the spotlight after more than 11 million of its internal files were leaked to German daily Suddeutsche Zeitung.

Zeitung then approached the ICIJ, which helped organise a 9-month long global investigation into the leaked files, the results of which were made public on Monday.

Read the original post:
Censorship, CIA and no US citizens: Panama Papers ...

A controversial film that accuses the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of covering up the link between vaccines and rising autism rates has been pulled from the Tribeca Film Festival after its inclusion sparked outrage andopponents called it intellectually dishonest and propaganda.

A day after he defended the decision to screen the documentary Vaxxed: From Cover-Up to Catastrophe, festival co-founder Robert De Niro announced in a statement Saturday that he reversed course after reviewing the film with colleagues and experts.

My intent in screening this film was to provide an opportunity for conversation around an issue that is deeply personal to me and my family, the statement said. But after reviewing it over the past few days with the Tribeca Film Festival team and others from the scientific community, we do not believe it contributes to or furthers the discussion I had hoped for.

Deadline Hollywood reported that filmmakers have accused Tribeca officials of engaging in censorship.

To our dismay, we learned today about the Tribeca Film Festivals decision to reverse the official selection of Vaxxed: From Cover-Up to Catastrophe,' director Andrew Wakefield and producer Del Bigtree said.

It is our understanding that persons from an organization affiliated with the festival have made unspecified allegations against the film, the statement continued. We have just witnessed yet another example of the power of corporate interests censoring free speech, art, and truth. Tribecas action will not succeed in denying the world access to the truth behind the film Vaxxed.'

The film is directed and co-written by Wakefield, a polarizing anti-vaccination activist and onetime gastroenterologist whose medical license was revoked by Britains General Medical Council, according to CBS News. Wakefield is also the author of a widely discounted study published in the medical journal the Lancet, in 1998 that was retracted in 2010. Studies from the independent, nonprofit Institute of Medicine, the World Health Organization and the CDC have discredited the notion that a link exists between vaccines and developing autism spectrum disorder, according to the Huffington Post.

The substantial evidence explains why the decision to screen the film drew intense scrutiny from medical experts.

On Friday, De Niro released a statement explaining his decision to screen the film next month, but he noted that he was not personally endorsing the film and is not anti-vaccination.

Grace and I have a child with autism and we believe it is critical that all of the issues surrounding the causes of autism be openly discussed and examined, the statement said. In the 15 years since the Tribeca Film Festival was founded, I have never asked for a film to be screened or gotten involved in the programming.

However this is very personal to me and my family and I want there to be a discussion, which is why we will be screening the film, the statement added.

The statement set off a new round of debate on the festivals Facebook page, with users leaving thousands of heated comments.

Why shouldnt there be discussion around this? one commenter wrote. This is supposed to be a country of free speech.

To say that discussion has not been ongoing before this obvious bit of propaganda is screened is intellectually dishonest, another said. The discussion has been going on for decades and the answer has remained the same. There is no valid science that backs a vaccine-autism link. None.

To say that discussion has not been ongoing before this obvious bit of propaganda is screened is intellectually dishonest

A trailer for the film begins with ominous music and a single question:

Are our children safe?

Continue reading here:
Filmmakers accuse Robert De Niro of censorship after he ...

Latest Articles

American officials cite blocked websites and other limits on information as bad for foreign companies doing business in the vast market.

By PAUL MOZUR

During a presentation on digital security, the architect, Fang Binxing, was forced to use location-masking software to reach websites in South Korea.

By AUSTIN RAMZY

A draft law posted by a technology regulator said sites in the country would have to register domain names with local service providers.

By PAUL MOZUR

The unexpected defense of an outspoken real estate tycoon has exposed uneasiness about President Xi Jinpings calls for unquestioning public obedience.

By CHRIS BUCKLEY

A list of forbidden news topics reportedly issued by Chinas propaganda authorities offers a picture of their anxieties.

By DIDI KIRSTEN TATLOW

Officials from the top broadcast regulator have said that programs will soon be subject to the same censorship as regular TV shows, according to a report in The Beijing Times.

New regulations will forbid any foreign company from publishing online content in China without the governments consent.

By DAVID BARBOZA and PAUL MOZUR

The comparison, posted on YouTube, prompted warnings that the writer could be penalized under Chinese law, even though the site is blocked in China.

By DIDI KIRSTEN TATLOW

Many Western governments oppose use of the word multilateral, which is considered code for nations making the rules on how people get online and who has access to data.

By DAN LEVIN

The specific legal implications surrounding the question of free speech are vexing many Chinese who are following Pu Zhiqiangs plight.

By EDWARD WONG

The study by the American group Freedom House pointed to Chinas strengthening its Great Firewall system of censorship and its criminalizing some kinds of online speech.

By EDWARD WONG

The remarks, given at Tsinghua University in Beijing, underlined Facebooks eagerness to expand in China, where it remains blocked.

By OWEN GUO

The app displays an error message instead of news articles, possibly in an effort to avoid running afoul of Chinese censorship policies.

By PAUL MOZUR and KATIE BENNER

The Chinese Ministry of Public Security did not give details in announcing the move, but the accused have presumably been detained.

The government hopes to foster an Internet society that doesn't concern itself with politics or current affairs.

By MURONG XUECUN

In its growing Internet crackdown, Beijing has turned to an old ban on picking quarrels and provoking trouble, once limited to physical acts like handing out fliers.

By EDWARD WONG

China, which has some of the worlds tightest Internet restrictions, has released a draft of a bill that authorizes broad powers to control the flow of online information.

By AUSTIN RAMZY

The lead developer of Lantern, a censorship-evading tool, discusses how it works and how it has reacted tothe new measuresby Chinese Internet regulators.

By PATRICK BOEHLER

Businesses are growing increasingly frustrated by obstacles to Internet access, according to a survey by the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China.

By EDWARD WONG

During the talent show portion of a Lunar New Year celebration, the Cyberspace Administration debuted what can only be described as a semiofficial anthem, a throwback to revolutionary songs glorifying the state.

American officials cite blocked websites and other limits on information as bad for foreign companies doing business in the vast market.

By PAUL MOZUR

During a presentation on digital security, the architect, Fang Binxing, was forced to use location-masking software to reach websites in South Korea.

By AUSTIN RAMZY

A draft law posted by a technology regulator said sites in the country would have to register domain names with local service providers.

By PAUL MOZUR

The unexpected defense of an outspoken real estate tycoon has exposed uneasiness about President Xi Jinpings calls for unquestioning public obedience.

By CHRIS BUCKLEY

A list of forbidden news topics reportedly issued by Chinas propaganda authorities offers a picture of their anxieties.

By DIDI KIRSTEN TATLOW

Officials from the top broadcast regulator have said that programs will soon be subject to the same censorship as regular TV shows, according to a report in The Beijing Times.

New regulations will forbid any foreign company from publishing online content in China without the governments consent.

By DAVID BARBOZA and PAUL MOZUR

The comparison, posted on YouTube, prompted warnings that the writer could be penalized under Chinese law, even though the site is blocked in China.

By DIDI KIRSTEN TATLOW

Many Western governments oppose use of the word multilateral, which is considered code for nations making the rules on how people get online and who has access to data.

By DAN LEVIN

The specific legal implications surrounding the question of free speech are vexing many Chinese who are following Pu Zhiqiangs plight.

By EDWARD WONG

The study by the American group Freedom House pointed to Chinas strengthening its Great Firewall system of censorship and its criminalizing some kinds of online speech.

By EDWARD WONG

The remarks, given at Tsinghua University in Beijing, underlined Facebooks eagerness to expand in China, where it remains blocked.

By OWEN GUO

The app displays an error message instead of news articles, possibly in an effort to avoid running afoul of Chinese censorship policies.

By PAUL MOZUR and KATIE BENNER

The Chinese Ministry of Public Security did not give details in announcing the move, but the accused have presumably been detained.

The government hopes to foster an Internet society that doesn't concern itself with politics or current affairs.

By MURONG XUECUN

In its growing Internet crackdown, Beijing has turned to an old ban on picking quarrels and provoking trouble, once limited to physical acts like handing out fliers.

By EDWARD WONG

China, which has some of the worlds tightest Internet restrictions, has released a draft of a bill that authorizes broad powers to control the flow of online information.

By AUSTIN RAMZY

The lead developer of Lantern, a censorship-evading tool, discusses how it works and how it has reacted tothe new measuresby Chinese Internet regulators.

By PATRICK BOEHLER

Businesses are growing increasingly frustrated by obstacles to Internet access, according to a survey by the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China.

By EDWARD WONG

During the talent show portion of a Lunar New Year celebration, the Cyberspace Administration debuted what can only be described as a semiofficial anthem, a throwback to revolutionary songs glorifying the state.

Continued here:
Internet Censorship in China - The New York Times

What is Censorship? Censorship is the act of altering, adjusting, editing, or banning of media resulting from the presumption that its content is perceived to be objectionable, incendiary, illicit, or immoral by the presiding governmental body of a specific country or nation or a private institution. The ideology and methodology of Censorship varies greatly on both domestic and international levels, as well as public and private institutions. Governmental Censorship

Governmental Censorship takes place in the event that the content, subject matter, or intent latent within an individual form of media is considered to exist in contrast with preexisting statutory regulations and legislation. In many cases, the censorship of media will be analogous with corollary laws in existence. For example, in countries or nations in which specific actions or activities are prohibited, media containing that nature of presumed illegal subject matter may be subject to Censorship. However, the mere mention of such subject matter will not always result in censorship; the following methods of classification are typically enacted with regard to a governmentally-instituted statutory Censorship: Censorship within the Public Sector The public sector is defined as any setting in which individuals of all ages inhabit that comply with legal statutes of accepted morality and proper behavior; this differs by locale the nature of the public sector is defined with regard to the nature of the respective form of media and its adherence to legislation: The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) sanctioned by the federal government of the United States in order to regulate the activity taking place in the public setting-based media Censorship and Intent With regard to Censorship, intent is legally defined as the intended result for which one hopes as a result of their participation in the release or authorship of media; typically, proponents for individual censorship will be required to prove that the intent latent within the media in question was enacted knowingly and deliberately in any lack of adherence to legislation Censorship and Privacy

With Regard to censorship, privacy is a state in which an individual is free to act according to their respective discretion with regard to legal or lawful behavior; however, regardless of the private sector, the adherence to legislation and legality is required Private and Institutional Censorship

Private institutions retain the right to censor media which they may find objectionable; this is due to the fact that the participants in private or independent institutions are defined as willing participants. As a result, upon joining or participating in a private institution, the individuals concede to adhere to applicable regulations:

comments

Read more from the original source:
What Is Censorship - Censorship | Laws.com