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Our Mission
Project Censored’s mission is to promote critical media literacy, independent journalism, and democracy. We educate students and the public about the importance of a truly free press for democratic self-government. Censorship undermines democracy. We expose and oppose news censorship and we promote independent investigative journalism, media literacy, and critical thinking.
Pressing Problems
The US faces a significant gap in critical media literacy education, with only four states—New Jersey, Delaware, Texas, and California—mandating it in K-12 public schools. This deficiency leaves the majority of American students without formal instruction on essential skills such as analyzing and evaluating media content, fostering a vulnerability to mis- and disinformation and limiting their ability to navigate our increasingly complex media landscape effectively.
The concentration of media ownership can lead to a narrowing of perspectives and a reduction in the diversity of voices, limiting the range of information available to the public.
News deserts, areas lacking sufficient local news coverage, contribute to a scarcity of information resources, hindering the accessibility of critical media literacy tools for communities. Simultaneously, the digital divide exacerbates this issue, as unequal access to online platforms and technology further limits the public’s ability to engage with and benefit from crucial media literacy resources, widening the gap in information access and digital skills.
Tested Solutions
We seek to ensure that news stories that have the greatest implications for the people of the United States get more coverage than those that are sensational or simply entertaining. Our goal is to enlighten people about the stories they don’t hear—”the news that didn’t make the news”—that are likely to affect their lives (and the lives of their children) far into the future. From this perspective, journalism undertaken in the public interest can stimulate people to act in ways that make a difference.
An informed public is crucial to democracy in at least two basic ways. First, without access to relevant news and opinion, people cannot fully participate in government. Second, without media literacy, people cannot evaluate for themselves the quality or significance of the news they receive. Project Censored’s work highlights the important links among a free press, media literacy, and democratic self-government.
This is why we promote public awareness of, trust in, and support for independent news sources that provide meaningful alternatives to corporate news reporting. Our promotion of independent journalism includes tools for educators and the general public to enhance peoples’ critical media literacy skills, and therefore enrich each persons’ interactions with news media.
A lack of taught critical thinking skills will impact readers’ abilities to understand whether an information source is trustworthy, rendering them vulnerable to mistaking “junk food news” and other forms of sensationalized or misleading reporting as indistinguishable from credible journalism.
To counter the rising tides of misinformation and disinformation, it’s important that more individuals begin to understand the limitations of corporate news coverage and to cultivate appreciation for independent investigative journalism. A better understanding of news is not truly the end in itself, but a means to an end: the real goal is a better informed public, which in turn is a crucial requirement for a robust democracy and a population of individuals with restored trust in media (especially journalism), our political institutions, and each other.
Project Censored provides comprehensive educational materials, designed to empower critical thinking including
- Teaching guides
- Educators guides
- Yearbook distribution
- Classroom Exercises
- Archival material
Our Work
Educational Materials
Discover Project Censored’s comprehensive educational materials, designed to empower critical thinking.
Educational Materials
Among the Project’s wealth of online resources are its various teaching and educator guides, classroom exercises, archival material, and more.
Learn More HereMultimedia Content
Check out Project Censored’s engaging multimedia content, including its weekly radio show, documentary films, and more.
Multimedia Content
Check out Project Censored’s engaging multimedia content, including its weekly radio show, documentary films, and more.
Learn More HerePublications
The Censored Press, Project Censored’s publishing imprint, delivers groundbreaking books that spotlight and challenge media censorship while promoting critical media literacy.
Publications
Our latest titles include the Project’s annual State of the Free Press series, The Media and Me by Project Censored and the Media Revolution Collective, and more.
Learn More HereCensored Notebook
Explore the Project’s dynamic online publications, which provide a vital platform for uncovering underreported issues and fostering media literacy in an era of information overload.
Censored Notebook
The Censored Notebook features original investigative research, a Dispatches series on various topics related to the intersection of media and politics, Validated Independent News Stories, and monthly newsletters.
Learn More HereCampus Affiliate Program
Join Project Censored’s Campus Affiliates Program and become a catalyst for media literacy on your campus.
Campus Affiliate Program
Students and faculty from across North America identify and vet important but under-reported news stories to inform the public.
Learn More HereInternships
Interns develop skills that prepare them for a career in journalism, but which are also fundamental to successful employment in a variety of fields.
Internships
Interns support daily operations at Project Censored, such as identifying and vetting independent news stories, researching current news topics and issues in press freedom, communicating with partner organizations, and promoting the Project’s work through its website, social media channels, and public events.
Learn More HereOur Impact
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Books Donated to Educational Institutions Within the Past Year
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Colleges and Universities Joined our Campus Affiliates Program
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Students Participated in Our Campus Affiliates Program
How to Support
Become a Monthly Subscriber
Join our community of supporters dedicated to advancing critical media literacy and promoting media integrity.
Get The Book
Learn more about the challenges facing free and independent journalism, including News Abuse and Junk Food News, in Project Censored’s annual State of the Free Press yearbook.
Make a Donation
Empower media accountability and independent journalism by supporting Project Censored, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. Your tax-deductible contribution fuels our mission to advance critical media literacy and defend the public’s right to a transparent news landscape.
Stay Informed
Readers navigating the constant influx of news can benefit from resources to help identify trustworthy reporting. Fortunately, Project Censored provides tools to help people identify reliable sources, misleading information, and censorship.
Independent News Sources
Check out our carefully curated list of important and trustworthy independent news sources
View HereRecognize False Information
Use our brief checklist to determine the integrity of a news article
View HereThe Top 25 Censored News Stories
Our panel of expert judges, faculty, and students at affiliate campuses, vote upon and select the Top 25 Censored Stories of the past year which are submitted by over 200 researchers from colleges and universities across the country. This list highlights issues that the corporate media have long marginalized.
View HereThe Censored Notebook
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