For nearly two decades now, Project Censored has been releasing their annual Censored book detailing the top global news stories either ignored or overlooked by the mainstream news media, with each volume listing the top 25 under-reported (censored) news stories, as well as numerous additional stories not receiving attention, and followups to the top censored stories of previous years.

The 2009 edition covers an extremely pivotal moment in the new millennium, the years 2007 and 2008: Four years into the Iraq War, the first signs of the beginning of the US recession, and the presidential campaigns leading to the first African American US President. There is so much going on at the end of 2008, and looking back almost a decade later, so much important information was just beneath the radar when it came to the mainstream media news coverage.

In hindsight, some of the top 25 from the 2009 edition stand out. The under-reported death toll of Iraqi citizens - and the loose classification system used to identify any adult males as combatants - during the Iraq war is something that would continue to come in the years to follow, as would the billions of dollars disappearing into Iraq. Also interesting is the media overlooked complicity between major corporations and the FBI in allowing the government to access the data of US citizens, which has suddenly just managed to gain some headlines in the past year, only eight years later.

As with previous and future installments, Censored 2009 is an informative and eye-opening account of the news that is not reaching mainstream America through its passive news media outlets, and exposes how what we hear about in the news is manipulated not just by the power-structure behind the few corporations running all news media, but by the the sensationalist ratings-driven coverage that prefers scandal and gossip over critical newsworthy events.

An interesting thing I see as I look at past issues of Censored is that whenever I find a negative review of them, they always tend to directly or indirectly accuse it of being a liberal mouthpiece backing left-wing fringe topics. It seems that whenever a journalistic work happens to explore negative aspects of the Iraq war or the Bush administration, suddenly there's a left-wing bias implied. I find this both unfounded and mildly humorous, as Censored has reported overlooked news during Republican and Democratic administrations, and there is a wonderful irony in claiming that Censored has a left-wing bias because it is highlighting some conservative news stories under-reported by the supposedly liberal-biased news media.

One negative review from 2009, for example, commented that the the book supports "9/11 conspiracy theories" and wondered sarcastically why that wasn't reported on. I'd assume that was in reference to story #24, Japan Questions 9/11 and the Global War on Terror, which was about the Japanese Parliament questioning the validity on the US "Global War on Terror" and specifically the evidence for invading Iraq in connection to the 9/11 terrorist attacks, demanding that a more thorough investigation into the attacks be conducted to justify the escalation of the war. Considering how mentioning the 9/11 link to the Iraq war these days usually results in a lot of finger-pointing over which media outlet didn't do enough investigative reporting about the supposed weapons of mass destruction and the supposed link from 9/11 to Saddam, I think there actually is still quite a bit of wondering why that wasn't reported on. I think that response in itself demonstrates why Project Censored is still relevant, and still needed. ( )

The premise of the book, that media focuses on fluff over substance, has promise. However after reading the stories and looking more in depth at many of them I came away with the understanding that although the mainstream media may not place emphasis on many of these stories, it is probably for good reasons.

The authors promote conspiracy theories such as the 9/11 attacks being an inside job by the US Government, its not surprising that the MSM didn’t report much on that. They also rely on unsubstantiated facts to support their opinions and the documentation is horrendous. For example they have an interesting story on Worldwide Slavery, a deeper look at this subject shows that either many web sites are copying the Censored book or Censored copied without attribution from other web sites. Dozens of web sites say exactly the same thing and it is impossible to find the original. Further research finds that they have chosen the worst case projections to emphasize the problem. Reputable academic and government agencies place the scope of the problem at a much smaller level. The problem of slavery is horrendous at any level, it only hurts the story to cherry pick data and show the worst case scenarios.

In general I found the research to be sloppy and the conclusions poorly made. ( )

Here is another compendium of news stories that were under-reported (or un-reported) by the mainstream news media.

Did you know that over 20,000 private companies are working with the FBI to collect and provide information on other Americans? According to a prestigious british polling group, the civilian death toll in Iraq since the 2003 invasion has topped the 1 million mark. The US Treasury Department now has the authority to seize the assets of anyone who is perceived to, directly or indirectly, threaten US operations in the Middle East (which could mean almost anyone). The American Psychological Association has been complicit in CIA torture. The No Child Left Behind Act has become a huge bonanza in the world of corporate profiteering.

At least nine billion dollars in cash have been unaccounted for since the early days of the Iraq occupation. Today, there are 27 million slaves in the world, more than at any other time in world history. They are not just in the Third World, but also in the developed world. Elliot Spitzer was not removed from office because of "personal indiscretions." He was target of a Wall Street and White House operation to silence an increasingly vocal critic of their handling of what became the present financial crisis.

It seems that there just was not enough air time or newspaper space for these stories, but there was abundant space for Lindsay Lohan, Brad and Angelina, Jessica Simpson, Alec Baldwin and David Hasselhoff. This book also explores the media coverage of the Military Commissions Act, healthcare and the 2008 campaign, American media bias against the lawfully elected Hamas Government in Gaza, the marketing of Gardasil as a "cure" for cancer, when it really isn’t, Winter Soldier and the Pentagon’s targeting of young people (including children).

This is an excellent book that shows just how "dumbed down" American news media has become. It is eye-opening reading and is highly recommended. ( )