KPFA - Project Censored

Today’s Project Censored is preempted by special spring fund drive programming. The post Special Spring Fund Drive Programming appeared first on KPFA.

Today’s Project Censored is preempted by a special fund drive episode of Voices of the Middle East and North Africa in which Rashid Khalidi discusses his book, The Hundred Years War on Palestine: A History of Settler Colonialism and Resistance, 1917–2017. The post Special Fund Drive Programming: Voices of the Middle East and North Africa appeared first on KPFA.

The News That Didn’t Make the News. Each week, co-hosts Mickey Huff and Eleanor Goldfield conduct in depth interviews with their guests and offer hard hitting commentary on the key political, social, and economic issues of the day with an emphasis on critical media literacy. The post Project Censored – May 10, 2024 appeared first on KPFA.

May 3 is World Press Freedom Day. In the first segment, Mickey speaks with Professor Andrew Kennis, who explains his new theoretical model of media and society and also proposes reform policies (notably BBC-style public financing) to revive U.S. journalism in a way that serves the public, rather than commercial interests. Then, Mickey and Eleanor discuss the growing protests occurring around the US in opposition to more aid and weapons being sent to Israel for their attacks on Gaza. They address the media framing and censorship around those First-Amendment-protected events happening on a rapidly increasing number of America’s college campuses and revisit the echoes of Kent State, as we approach the 54th anniversary of those tragic events on May 4th 1970. The post World Press Freedom Day: Independent Media, Social Justice, and the Vox Populi appeared first on KPFA.

In the first segment, Mickey speaks with Professor Raza Rumi, director of the Park Center for Independent Media at Ithaca College, who explains the declining relevance of “legacy” media and the essential work of a truly independent press. They also discuss media censorship and propaganda around Israel and Hamas and what appears to be an unfolding genocide Gaza, as well as the coming 16th Annual Izzy Awards at the Park Center (named after the late great muckraking reporter, I.F. Stone), which honors the best independent journalism in the public interest. Then, Mickey and Eleanor deconstruct how establishment media are slanting Gaza coverage in Israel’s favor, including at the New York Times, which has gone so far as to control language and censor their own journalists, while demonizing those who offer counter-narratives based on transparently sourced factual reports from the region. GUEST: Raza Rumi is Director of the Park Center for Independent Media at Ithaca College in upstate New York and has held a variety of other academic appointments in his career, including at Cornell University and the Roosevelt House Public Policy Institute at Hunter College. The post The Vital Need for Independent Media / Corporate Media Self-Censorship and Spin About Gaza appeared first on KPFA.

In the first half of the show, Eleanor sits down with two residents of East Palestine, Ohio — Zsuzsa Gyenes and Chris Albright — to discuss the ongoing fallout from the catastrophic train derailment in February of last year. Zsuzsa and Chris talk about a purgatory of waiting without help, without answers, without accountability, all the while displaced and dealing with a range of illnesses, while local, state, and federal authorities bow to corporate greed over public health and justice. Next up, retired army colonel Ann Wright joins the show to talk about the Freedom Flotilla: multiple vessels set to sail in mid-April carrying tons of humanitarian aid bound for Gaza. Ann talks about the history of these actions, the need for citizens to take action — even dangerous actions such as this — in order to do what their governments refuse to do: help the Palestinian people. The post From East Palestine to Palestine, People Need Help appeared first on KPFA.

Britain’s High Court of Justice has ruled whether Julian Assange can appeal an extradition order that would send him to the U.S. Independent journalist Kevin Gozstola, author of Guilty of Journalism, explains the implications of the order and whether the U.S. might file new charges against the Wikileaks publisher, if it finally gets custody of him. They also discuss the significant consequences for press freedom should the case move forward. Then, Eleanor speaks with independent journalist Hilary Beaumont about her recent reporting on solar geoengineering and tribal consent. Hilary outlines how this technology, which involves dispersing sulfur dioxide at high altitudes with the intent of offsetting some of the impact of climate change, represents yet another example of green colonialism. They discuss the negative and positive potential and effects of such methods and the paltry attention corporate media give to issues such as the intersection of Indigenous rights and the climate crisis. GUESTS: Kevin Gosztola is an independent journalist and author. He has covered the Julian Assange legal proceedings in the UK from their beginning, as well as other press-freedom and whistleblower cases, and has been a frequent guest on the Project Censored Show. His book on the Assange case, Guilty of Journalism: The Political Case Against Julian Assange was published in 2023. Gosztola is also the editor of the Dissenter newsletter. Hilary Beaumont is a California-based independent investigative journalist who covers the climate crisis, indigenous rights, and immigration. Her work has been published by The Guardian, Al Jazeera, and High Country News. The post Press Freedom and the Julian Assange Appeal / Green Colonialism, Tribal Consent, and Solar Geoengineering appeared first on KPFA.

In the first half of the show, researcher and U.S. military veteran Christian Sorensen joins Eleanor Goldfield to discuss the business of war, the mapping of it, the remarkable spread of it, and the very real ability and need to shift this trillion dollar industry to something more sustainable and peaceful. Sorensen explains how the military industrial complex in this country is the classic definition of fascism, and why confronting this uncomfortable fact is quite simply necessary for a livable future. Then, we welcome Professor Richard Wolff back on the show, this time to articulate the dangerous delusions of American Exceptionalism that are hurting not only us but our allies in Europe as well. Professor Wolff outlines extreme miscalculations vis-à-vis Russia, China, and Israel; how right-wing fear mongering is failing; and the hope that’s building on the horizon, thanks to leftist organizing and campaigning. The post Who Profits from U.S. Wars? / The Cost of American Delusions appeared first on KPFA.

This week’s show presents excerpts from a recent panel discussion about the “Military-Entertainment Complex.” Inspired by the documentary “Theaters of War,” the panelists examined the remarkable extent of Pentagon / CIA influence over movies, television, and computer games, and its aim of molding the attitudes of Americans about the military as well as U.S. behavior in the world. The panel was co-sponsored by the Media Education Foundation and Project Censored, and moderated by Mickey Huff. Roger Stahl is Professor of Communication at the University of Georgia, and the director of “Theaters of War.” Robin Anderson is Professor Emerita of Media Studies at Fordham University. Fatooma Saad is a doctoral student in Communications at Wayne State University, and formerly a Marine Corps corporal assigned to public relations. Mnar Adley is the founder and editor-in-chief of Mint Press News, an online journalism site. The post Silver Screen War Machine appeared first on KPFA.

In the first half of the show, Libertie Valance and Cindy Barukh Milstein join host Eleanor Goldfield to talk about how a small co-op bookshop in Asheville, NC came to be the keeper of more than 20,000 youth books banned in Florida, as well as the emergence of the Banned Books Back! initiative and how a growing connection of people across state lines are finding creative ways to circumvent the rise of book bans. Next, professor, author, and organizer Nicole Fabricant joins the show to talk to us about Curtis Bay: a sacrifice zone microcosm, one that is mirrored all over the nation and indeed the world. Nicole highlights how primarily black and brown communities are overburdened not just by pollution and corporate malfeasance but by the need to become their own scientists, doctors, and advocates. She shares powerful stories of autonomous youth organizing, and how we are, in fact, all sacrificed to corporate greed. GUESTS: Libertie Valance and Cindy Barukh Milstein work at Firestorm, an anarchist co-op bookstore in Asheville, NC. Their bookstore accepted 22,500 copies of books banned from Duval County elementary schools, and are donating the books to families in Duval County. Many of the banned titles feature Black, Brown, Asian, Indigenous, or LGBT characters. More information is available at the bookstore’s web site. Nicole Fabricant teaches at Towson University in the Baltimore area. She’s the author of Fighting to Breathe: Race, Toxicity and the Rise of Youth Activism In Baltimore. The post Banned Books Back! / We Are All Sacrifice Zones appeared first on KPFA.

A new book edited by a trio of media scholars tracks the spread of censorship across countries and across the media spectrum. All three co-editors join Mickey to explain their disturbing findings. Then, Mickey and co-host Eleanor Goldfield discuss the widely published story of supposed mass rape by Hamas fighters on October 7, and the New York Times’ refusal, to date, to acknowledge that its story has been debunked. Eleanor also speaks about her recent article on her own experience of lacking housing and how corporate media’s choice of language facilitates discrimination against unsheltered people as an “other.” GUESTS: Robin Andersen is Professor Emerita of Communications at Fordham University. Steve Macek teaches at North Central College in suburban Chicago. Nolan Higdon is a lecturer in Education at the University of California Santa Cruz campus. They are the co-editors of Censorship, Digital Media, and the Global Crackdown on Freedom of Expression. The post Deconstructing Media Propaganda and Framing, from War to the Unhoused appeared first on KPFA.

This week’s show is preempted by special fund drive programming. The post Special Fund Drive Programming appeared first on KPFA.

On this KPFA fundraising special, filmmaker and media-studies professor Roger Stahl describes the surprising breadth and depth of Pentagon and CIA control over Hollywood movies and television shows. His 2022 documentary, “Theaters of War,” examined how the military demands script changes as the price of its cooperation with producers, with the aim of favorably portraying US military forces, both in recent and historical conflicts. Stahl also explains “showstoppers,” plot or character elements that induce the military to withhold its cooperation, which sometimes prevents a show from being produced at all. In this Project Censored special, we hear excerpts from a recent interview Mickey Huff conducted with Roger Stahl, as well as sound clips from “Theaters of War.” The film is also a premium for today’s program, and is offered for a pledge of $120. The post Special Fund Drive Programming – Theaters of War appeared first on KPFA.

In this special fund drive episode, Kevin Gosztola delivers the latest news about the Julian Assange case, including Assange’s final judicial appeal in the UK against US efforts to extradite him and the consequences an Espionage Act trial of Assange could hold for journalists worldwide. The post Is Assange’s Extradition Imminent? appeared first on KPFA.

Eleanor Goldfield hosts this week. In the first segment, a French farmer explains the complex politics behind the recent wave of mass protests by farmers, as well as the economic squeeze that government policies impose on them. Next, in a brief “intermission,” Eleanor and Mickey discuss recent failures of corporate media and consider whether old media has abandoned any hope of building a substantial audience among the generation now coming of age. We conclude by discussing legislation to expose vast tracts of southeast Alaskan forest to logging, under a pretense of returning the land to Native Alaskan authority. David Lorant is a farmer based in Rennes, northwest France. Joshua Wright is a filmmaker and forest-defense activist. The post Why are farmers protesting in France? / Huge logging scheme disguised as land-back bill appeared first on KPFA.

In the opening segment, we learn about a case study in “regulatory capture.” Mickey’s guests explain how the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) declined to enforce its own concentration-of-ownership rules and thereby permitted Sinclair Broadcasting to control more TV stations than the rules allow. These guests also recount the years they spent in litigation to force the FCC to release its Sinclair documents. Then, in light of the recent Western air attacks on Yemen, Eleanor presents material gathered from online research and from her conversation with a Yemeni journalist. (Because of technical problems, the interview itself could not be aired.) Ahmed Abdulkareem explains that the Yemeni government actions that provoked the US/UK “response” were Yemen’s efforts to halt the Israeli massacres in the Gaza Strip. He also predicts that further violent intervention by the US will only strengthen the resistance. GUESTS: Sue Wilson is an award-winning journalist and the producer of the documentary Broadcast Blues. She also leads the Media Action Center, at www.mediaactioncenter.net. Her recent in-depth article about the Sinclair scandal can be seen at www.ProjectCensored.org. Art Belendiuk is a communications-law attorney with decades of experience. Ahmed Abdulkareem is a freelance Yemeni journalist. The post Who regulates whom? / What’s behind the U.S. attacks on Yemen? appeared first on KPFA.

Eleanor Goldfield hosts this week’s Project Censored Show. Her first guest, Alan MacLeod, explains how some of the largest media institutions slant their Gaza coverage to favor Israel and even dismiss journalists who don’t comply. He also warns of a neocon effort to push the U.S. into attacking Iran. The second half of the show looks at how hazardous uranium mining on and near Native territory in the Southwest is likely to persist and increase, even near the Grand Canyon, owing to various legal loopholes. Alan MacLeod is Senior Staff Writer at Mint Press News, and a frequent guest on the Project Censored Show. He’s also the author of the 2018 book “Bad News From Venezuela.” Leona Morgan is a Diné (“Navajo”) anti-nuclear organizer. Information related to the campaign to halt nuclear colonialism in the American Southwest can be found at haulno.com. The post Big Media’s pro-Israel bias / Native people resist uranium mining appeared first on KPFA.

Mickey’s guests for the hour are Leonard Grob and John K. Roth, coauthors of the 2023 book, Warnings: The Holocaust, Ukraine, and Endangered American Democracy. Fearful of what a second Trump administration might bring, Grob and Roth point to the rise of Nazism in Germany in the 1930s as a case study in how rapidly a society can lose its democratic political system, and they offer suggestions on what ordinary citizens can do to preserve democratic institutions. Leonard Grob is Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at Fairleigh Dickinson University in New Jersey. John K. Roth is Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at Claremont McKenna College in southern California. Both are widely-published scholars of the Holocaust. The post The Fragility of Democracy, and How to Preserve It appeared first on KPFA.

For one of their first programs of 2024, Mickey and Eleanor again focus on the legal case of Julian Assange and the implication for press freedom in the U.S. and abroad. In a recently recorded interview, independent journalist Kevin Gosztola tells Mickey about the latest legal developments, including the lawsuit against the CIA. Then we hear a discussion he had with Eleanor about his book Guilty of Journalism; they spoke last August at the Red Emma’s bookstore/cafe in Baltimore. Kevin Gosztola has covered the Julian Assange legal proceedings in the UK from their beginning, as well as other press-freedom and whistleblower cases. His book on the Assange case, Guilty of Journalism, was published last year. Gosztola also writes at thedissenter.org. The post Freedom of the Press Means Freedom for Julian Assange appeared first on KPFA.

This week: the legal criminality of genocide — of perpetrating it, supporting it and, in the US, of decrying it. In the first half of the show, Hassan Ben Imran from Law For Palestine joins Eleanor Goldfield to discuss the recent case of genocide brought by South Africa to the ICJ against Israel: the potential, the pitfalls and the precedent. Ben Imran also debunks Israel’s claim to self-defense and shines a light on the West Bank, a primary target for Israel beyond obliterating Gaza. Next up, Professors Anthony O’Rourke and Wadie Said join the show to discuss their recent article in Dissent covering the oppressively Orwellian push to criminalize support for Palestine as material support for a terrorist organization, particularly on college campuses — going farther than the already ludicrous assertion that antizionism is antisemitism. The post The Legality of Genocide: On International Law & Thoughtcrimes on US Campuses appeared first on KPFA.