Project Censored

Peter and Mickey spend the hour speaking with author/educator Henry Giroux.  Giroux explains the concept of 'critical pedagogy,' and the pivotal role that education plays for the whole of society. He warns of the increasing domination of the world by the ultra-rich, and a new form of anti-intellectualism fostered by a failing corporate media. Among the measures the left must take to resist these forces, he names the formation of a third political party, and more academics taking on the duties of public intellectuals, rather than limiting their activities to the campus.

What is Critical Media Literacy, and why is it a vital skill for students and citizens today? Peter Phillips and Mickey Huff speak with two Media Literacy scholars, who explain how the concepts apply to both old and new forms of media. Julie Frechette chairs the Department of Communications at Worcester State University in Massachusetts. Bill Yousman is director of the graduate program in Media Literacy and Education at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Connecticut.

Mark Crispin Miller of NYU discusses some of the recent additions to his Forbidden Bookshelf series, which seeks out important out-of-print political works and republishes them as e-books; Miller explains the insidious ways the books were first "disappeared." Next, Peter Hart with the National Coalition Against Censorship speaks about this year's Banned Books Week, and some of the means -- short of outright banning -- which keep important books away from students. The program concludes with Gerry Condon of Vets for Peace, speaking about the historic vessel Golden Rule, brought to San Francisco as part of a protest against the U.S. Navy's annual Fleet Week activities there.

9/11 and the Rise of Neoconservative Foreign Policy. For this 14th anniversary 9/11 special program, co-hosts Mickey Huff and Peter Phillips speak with Media Roots journalist and filmmaker Robbie Martin about his new film "A Very Heavy Agenda." The film looks in depth at the Kagan family and the rise of neoconservative foreign policy prior to and since the events of 9/11. Tune in for a detailed discussion about the development of the US policy driving American Empire.

Authors Mark Pilisuk and Jennifer Rountree discuss their new book, "The Hidden Structure of Violence: Who Benefits From Global Violence and War." They contend that organized violence is not an inescapable part of human existence, but is organized and carried out by the dominant social order to enhance its own power.  In the second half of the program, Tara Dorabji joins in to explain how violence and social control are wielded in two of the world's occupied lands, Palestine and Kashmir, and the role women play in preserving life and culture in those areas, despite the occupiers' brutality.Marc Pilisuk teaches at Saybrook University; Jennifer Rountree works at the National Indian Child Welfare Association; Tara Dorabji works at Youth Radio and is a contributor to the forthcoming Project Censored 2016.

Peter Phillips  and Mickey Huff co-hosts for the Project Censored show provide an update on human rights abuses in Mexico funded by US; they speak with researcher/journalist Laura Carlsen in Mexico City.  The remainder of the program focuses on the impacts of nuclear technology on the enviroment and society. Ken Buesseler and Tim Mousseau summarize their scientific research about the ongoing consequences of the Fukushima disaster, for Japan and for the Pacific. The program concludes with a rebroadcast of a Project Censored interview with investigative journalist and nuclear-energy critic Karl Grossman.

In a remarkable case study of censorship, author and political cartoonist Ted Rall recounts how he was dropped from the Los Angeles Times, purportedly for giving an untrue account of a 2001 encounter with an LAPD officer, who cited Rall for jaywalking. As he refutes the 'evidence' behind his dismissal, Rall also points out links between the Times, the LAPD, and the police union, raising questions about how decisions are made at one of the "big three" U.S. newspapers.

This week's program offers two perspectives on global capitalism and permanent war. Sociologist William Robinson makes the case that the present state of capitalism may be a "systemic crisis," something not seen in centuries. Then peace advocate Kathy Kelly relates her experiences from Afghanistan to US prisons, and refutes the notion of"humanitarian war."William Robinson teaches Sociology at UC Santa Barbara. Kathy Kelly is the founder of Voices for Creative Nonviolence. 

On the Project Censored show Peter Phillips with California Green Party activist Laura Wells as co-host interview professor Peter Mathews regarding his book “Dollar Democracy: with Liberty and Justice for Some,” regarding key issues including the decline of the middle class, inequality in  education, health care, the collapse of the environment, and what needs to be done. The conversation addresses issues from GMO labeling to California's Proposition 13 to the runaway Pentagon budget; Matthews' underlying theme is that most contemporary political problems  can be traced to the super-rich controlling the electoral process through campaign contributions.

As the annual Whistleblower Summit concludes, Mickey Huff spends an hour speaking with Abby Martin, one the journalists presented with an Pillar award by Summit organizers. Abby Martin hosted RT's "Breaking the Set" for three years. She and Mickey had a wide-ranging discussion about the state of U-S media in 2015.

Peter Phillips and Project Censored affiliate professor Julie Andrzejewski as co-host address the Global Environmental Crisis. They interview emeritus professor of Religion and Philosophy Dr. David Ray Griffin regarding his new book Unprecedented: Can Civilization Survive the CO2 Crisis?  Additionally, they talk with Truth Out investigative reporter Dahr Jamail regarding his newest article: Mass Extinction: It's the End of the World as We Know It.”

Project Censored Show host Mickey Huff covers The Myth of Clean and Safe Nuclear Technologies-- Holding the Nuclear Industry Responsible for Environmental Contamination and Human Disease. The show begins in discussion with Choi Seungkoo, Secretary General of the NNAA (No Nukes Asia Actions) and activist Rev. Daesoo Lee, they discuss recent international lawsuits andcompensation for cancer victims created by nuclear power plants and the dangers of nuclear technology past to present...they are currently touring in the US to raise awareness about this growing global affair; at the bottom of the hour, author and professor Karl Grossman discusses the many dangers of nuclear power in the US from nuclear weapons to NASA, and from the weaponization of space to power plants built on fault lines near major cities…join us for an hour on the perils of nuclear technology, who is responsible, and what we can do about it...from Fukushima to Indian Point and beyond.

The Project Censored Show week of July11 on Pacifica Radio: Cohosts Mickey Huff and Peter Phillips discuss the Importance of Whistleblowing and Whistleblower Protection. They speak with attorney Jesselyn Radack, National Security Human Rights Director at the Government Accountability Project, about her work around clients such as Edward Snowden, Thomas Andrews Drake, and John Kiriakou, among others, and the state of Whistleblower protection in the US and around the world. To wrap up the program, Peter discusses his research about the .0001% Transnational Capitalist Class and those who attend the annual gathering at the Bohemian Grove in Northern California this week.

Mickey Huff and Peter Phillips discuss American Exceptionalism: Myths and Realities. Their first guest is Aaron Good​, a  doctoral student at Temple University and author of the article "American Exception: Hegemony and the Dissimulation of the State," among their topics are Good's concept of a 'Tripartite State.’For the second half of the program, the guest is Medea Benjamin, co-founder of the womens' peace group Code Pink. Speaking from Washington, DC, Medea Benjamin discusses issues from drone warfare to the recent fast track trade vote.

In light of the historic California drought and a global water crisis, Peter and Mickey devote this week's program to a look at water issues. First, investigative journalists Katharine Mieskowski and Lance Willliams explain how some water usage data is being kept away from journalists and the public. Then spoken-word artist Nick George offers a poem about water, power and money. In the second half of the program, Project Censored researcher Steven Feher shares what he's uncovered about ground water contamination from fracking. Finally, author Kirk Hylan explores the possible benefits of advanced desalination technology.