Top 25 censored stories

The list of the top 25 censored stories from 2003-2004 is out, and you might be surprised by some of them. The #1 story is “wealth inequality in 21st century threatens economy and democracy.” #11 is “the media can legally lie” and points to a Florida Court of Appeals decision that unanimously agreed with a Fox News assertion that there “is no rule against distorting or falsifying the news in the United States.” #18 is “media and government ignore dwindling oil supplies.” This one is particularly striking to me, since the evidence that we have reached “peak oil production” — meaning, at no time ever again will the world be able to produce so much oil, from here it’s all downhill — surely this recognition is playing some role in the Iraq conflict, no matter what the Bush administration asserts. I deeply appreciate Project Censored’s continued efforts to raise awareness about these issues, but I wonder how we manage to get more attention paid to this academic study that raises issues the main media don’t want to look at? Wouldn’t it be interesting communities of faith took such issues seriously? If we asked ourselves what we might learn by looking at what those in power seek to suppress? Or perhaps the notion of “what you do to the least of these” is no longer at the heart of our witness?