Project Censored - Promoting Critical Media Literacy (original) (raw)

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.