Censored 2004: The Top 25 Censored Stories (Censored: The News That Didn't Make the News -- The Year's Top 25 Censored Stories) [Paperback]

Peter Phillips (Author), Project Censored (Author), Amy Goodman (Author), Tom Tomorrow (Author), Thom Hartmann (Author)

Book Description

Series: Censored: The News That Didn't Make the News -- The Year's Top 25 Censored Stories | Publication Date: October 7, 2003

The yearly volumes of Censored, in continuous publication since 1976 and since 1995 available through Seven Stories Press, is dedicated to the stories that ought to be top features on the nightly news, but that are missing because of media bias and self-censorship. The top stories are listed democratically in order of importance according to students, faculty, and a national panel of judges. Each of the top stories is presented at length, alongside updates from the investigative reporters who broke the stories.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

PROJECT CENSORED, founded in 1976 by Carl Jensen, has as its principal objective the advocacy for and protection of First Amendment rights and the freedom of information in the United States. In 2008, Project Censored received the PEN/Oakland Literary Censorship Award for the publication of Censored 2009. For more information, visit www.projectcensored.org.
PETER PHILLIPS, director emeritus of Project Censored and president of the Media Freedom Foundation, is an associate professor of sociology at Sonoma State University. He is known for his op-ed pieces in the alternative press and independent newspapers nationwide, such as Z Magazine and Social Policy. He is also the winner of the 2009 Dallas Smythe Award, presented by the Union for Democratic Communication.

Product Details

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Seven Stories Press; First Edition edition (October 7, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1583226052
• ISBN-13: 978-1583226056
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 1 x 8.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #575,620 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

31 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Still Important; Uneven This Year, February 13, 2004

By 

doomsdayer520 (Pennsylvania) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Censored 2004: The Top 25 Censored Stories (Censored: The News That Didn't Make the News -- The Year's Top 25 Censored Stories) (Paperback)

Having followed the Project Censored yearly editions since the mid-90s, I have found that each volume has its own level of quality, even though the uncensored stories themselves are always of utmost importance. That is probably because of the changing staff of judges and college interns that Peter Phillips utilizes each year. A recent highpoint in the series is the 2003 edition, with powerful coverage of post-9/11 developments in journalism. On the other hand, 2001 saw an atrocious and poorly edited parade of whiny conspiracy theories and condescending tirades toward the public for not taking certain stories seriously. This new 2004 edition is somewhere in between, with some strong coverage fighting against poor editing and selection of material.

This book suffers from both poor technical and poor managerial editing. First, there are a considerable number of typos and technical errors. Meanwhile, after the year's top 25 stories are covered (and they're as important as always) the commentary section of the book is distressingly uneven from an editorial standpoint. We get fascinating and powerful essays on media behavior regarding the propaganda-heavy Iraq War, and the horrific challenges to the First Amendment unleashed by Homeland Security. But surrounding these are clunkers such as "Media Democracy in Action," which attempts to praise alternative news organizations but comes across as a wave of advertisements, especially in regards to Pacifica Radio and a community newspaper operated by Phillips. Meanwhile, the updates on censored stories from previous years are now being written by various members of the project team, with often unprofessional results indicating a need for more (or any) editorial control.

Once again, the stories uncovered by the team are of incredible importance to all Americans who are concerned about media behavior and knowledge of truly important events. For this reason, the work of Project Censored is as crucial as always. However, this edition of the series shows again that an entire large book requires a level of editorial and writing strength that the team is not always able to deliver. [~doomsdayer520~]

15 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A fierce wake-up call, January 12, 2004

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Censored 2004: The Top 25 Censored Stories (Censored: The News That Didn't Make the News -- The Year's Top 25 Censored Stories) (Paperback)

The collaborative effort of Peter Philips and "Project Censored", Censored 2004 collects the twenty-five most censored news stories of 2002 and 2003. A fierce wake-up call to issues commonly suppressed by the mainstream media, Censored 2004 is a "must-read" for journalism students, media critics, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the problems of media bias, news story censorship, social reforms, and the interactive relationships of media and government, as well as the issues of media ownership, journalistic integrity, and an effectively informed citizenry.

4.0 out of 5 stars An ongoing and urgent effort, December 3, 2007

By 

Cecil Bothwell "Author of "Whale Falls: A... (Asheville, NC USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Censored 2004: The Top 25 Censored Stories (Censored: The News That Didn't Make the News -- The Year's Top 25 Censored Stories) (Paperback)

When Secretary of State Colin Powell addressed the United Nations Security Council on Feb. 5, 2003 seeking to justify invading Iraq, the UN's tapestry of Picasso's masterpiece Guernica -- arguably the world's most famous artistic treatment of the horrors of modern warfare, was covered with a drape. To date, no one has revealed who requested the move. But the blatant censorship of a powerful artistic depiction of the horrors of war sent a potent political message. Unlike most of the stories detailed in Censored, this one was accorded some small mention in the nation's press.But it aptly conveys the message of Project Censored: that the stories overlooked, ignored and sometimes suppressed by the mainstream, corporate-controlled major media are as effectively blocked as if suppressed by government fiat. For three decades, faculty and students at Sonoma State University have labored to produce Project Censored -- an annual compendium of important stories missed by most of the news media -- and to honor the squeaky wheels who did cover them. This is one more among their valiant efforts and well worth a read. Our democracy depends on a free press and these folks continue to do essential spadework.