In this special fund drive episode of Project Censored, Mickey Huff and guests discuss the growing trend toward book bans in U.S. schools, as well as the Trump Administration’s attempts to suppress public access to the records of federal agencies. First, we hear about a soon-to-be-released documentary titled Banned Together (www.bannedtogetherdoc.com) that looks at efforts by local school boards, or state-level politicians, to restrict students’ access to books.

Next, two press-freedom advocates warn that the Trump Administration is engaged in unprecedented, and possibly illegal, efforts to reshuffle how federal agencies’ records are kept.

Allyson Rice and Dorri Scott are members of the team that created Banned Together.

Seth Stern and Lauren Harper are staff members at the Freedom of the Press Foundation (www.freedom.press)

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The post Special Fund Drive Episode : Book Banning / Government Record Keeping appeared first on KPFA.

Mickey Huff and Eleanor Goldfield co-host this week’s Project Censored Show.

In the first half of the program, Palestinian legal expert Hassan Ben Imran speaks

In the second half, Mickey Huff joins Eleanor for a discussion of recent

Hassan Ben Imran is a member of the Governing Council of Law for Palestine

The post Gaza, Israel, and International law / U.S. media’s failure on Gaza appeared first on KPFA.

In the first half of the program, Eleanor Goldfield interviews a Native American reporter who was arrested while covering a protest about land claims, despite showing the police his press credentials. Isaac White is a Mohawk journalist based in Akwesasne, upstate New York. His story highlights the importance of and dangers to local and Indigenous media.

Then Mickey Huff speaks with John Collins, the founder of the independent journalism site weavenews.org, about the responsibilities of the non-corporate press in the years ahead, as the biases and failures of corporate media become increasingly evident. Collins is a professor emeritus of global studies at St. Lawrence University. He explains that journalism is too important to be left to the powers that be and what we need right now more than ever is news of, for, and by the people. John also talks about his books and years of work on Palestine and how Palestine is in fact not only an issue unto itself but also a lens for examining colonialism, capitalism, media, the politics of representation, and more.

The post The Special Challenges to Indigenous Reporting, a Case from NY / The Mandate for Grassroots Journalism appeared first on KPFA.

In the first part of the program, economist Dr. Richard Wolff joins co-host Eleanor Goldfield to set the record straight on what tariffs really are and how bizarrely hypocritical it is that the famously anti-tax republican party is now the party that wants a lot of taxes — taxes aimed at you and me. Professor Wolff also explains the wrong-headed thinking about immigration: in fact, steady immigration into the U.S. is and has been a sign of a healthy economy, so the fact that the nation can’t and won’t embrace immigration today is actually a big red flag that our economy is weak — as further evidenced by how well the BRICS nations are doing compared to the G7.

In the second half, co-host Mickey Huff speaks with journalists Maya Schenwar and Negin Owliaei about how media must NOT back down to Trump’s threats against press freedom. Maya and Negin outline the multi pronged attacks that journalists and media organizations are facing, remarking that none of us alone can surmount these problems but that real active solidarity and community building is key — along with contextualizing our today in the struggles of yesterday and NEVER complying in advance

The post Don’t Get Distracted: Bitter Economic Pills and Threats to Free Press Hit Everyone appeared first on KPFA.

In the first half of today’s show, co-host Eleanor Goldfield speaks with Leyna Quinn-Davidson, the Fire Network Director for the University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources about the confluence of issues that are quite literally fueling the fires in LA County. Leyna highlights how we have to shift our thinking about not only how fires burn but their historic and vital role in bolstering healthy ecosystems. She also pinpoints some simple actions people in the area can take to protect their homes and, perhaps more important, their communities, since what your neighbor does or doesn’t do in these situations will directly affect you.

In the second half, experienced conflict correspondent Theia Chatelle joins the program to talk about suing Yale PD, a frustrating but enlightening process that uncovered a vast and deep web of surveillance and repressive tactics aimed at students engaging in constitutionally protected speech and protest. Theia discusses the frightening levels of coordination between campus police, local and federal law enforcement, Zionist organizations, and even counter-terrorism agencies. She connects this to a larger pattern of repression across U.S. colleges, universities, and towns and cities beyond campus borders, where the panopticon-style surveillance follows anyone and everyone who could be deemed a threat to the status quo.

The post Lessons from the LA fires / Surveillance of Student Protesters: The Case of Yale appeared first on KPFA.

This week, we swing into the new year (2025), with Mickey engaging media scholar Nolan Higdon. They discuss the incoming administration, Trump 2.0, the failures of the punditocracy, and what might mean for press freedom in his second term; social media and an end to so-called fact-checking; and why we will continue to need a truly independent press to keep us informed moving forward. Later in the program, media scholar Steve Macek joins the conversation, and it’s Deja Vu all over again as they revisit previously censored news stories around significant current events (including in Gaza) and how the ongoing lack of establishment media coverage around key issues contributes to low information voters and allows myriad injustices to persist at home and around the globe.

Nolan Higdon is a lecturer in Education at the University of California Santa Cruz campus, a prolific author on media issues, and a frequent guest on the Project Censored Show. His books include The Anatomy of Fake News; he  also writes on Substack. Steve Macek teaches communications and media studies at North Central College in Illinois. He’s also the co-coordinator of Project Censored’s Campus Affiliates Program.

The post Pressing Issues for 2025: Trump 2.0, Media Failures, and the Fight for Press Freedom appeared first on KPFA.

Eleanor Goldfield hosts this week’s program. Her first guest is Shrouq Aila, a Palestinian journalist/producer and resident of the Gaza Strip. She describes daily life under Israeli invasion and genocide, Israel’s targeting of reporters for assassination, and the challenges of living the story she covers. Then former State Department official Matthew Hoh shares his observations from a recent visit to Israel and the occupied West Bank and explains his belief that Israel’s primary goal for the next several years is to displace the West Bank’s remaining Palestinian population and annex the entire territory.

GUESTS:

Shrouq Aila is a Palestinian journalist/producer and resident of the Gaza Strip.

Matthew Hoh is a Marine Corps combat veteran, and a former State Department official.

The post Reporting Under Fire: Gaza, Genocide, and the Truth Behind the Headlines appeared first on KPFA.

We begin 2025 on an optimistic note, with a timeless speech by the legendary political activist and consumer-rights advocate Ralph Nader. Nader outlines some of the most critical problems facing Americans, including exorbitant military spending, out-of-control corporations, and thousands of annual deaths in the workplace, or from lack of health-care coverage. But then he names some individuals who’ve made a difference in recent U.S. history, explains what students can accomplish on campus, and how voters can hold legislators accountable. Nader spoke on March 5, 2018 at Sonoma State University in northern California, as part of the campus’s annual Social Justice Week Lecture Series.

The post Ralph Nader on Social Justice and World Affairs appeared first on KPFA.

Project Censored’s new yearbook, “State of the Free Press 2025” is fresh off the presses.

In the first segment, Andy Lee Roth and Shealeigh Voitl talk with Mickey about the extensive process that culminates in the selection of the annual “Top 25” censored stories. They also speak about the need to extend media analysis beyond fact-checking to “frame-checking.”

In the second half, Mickey and co-host Eleanor Goldfield speak about Eleanor’s new article on media literacy for activists, including various ideas on how activists can successfully interact with the different categories of media. Mickey and Eleanor also alert listeners to the dangers of House Bill 9495, a measure that would empower the U.S. Treasury Secretary to unilaterally remove an organization’s non-profit status.

GUESTS:

Andy Lee Roth is Associate Director of Project Censored and the coordinator of the Project’s Campus Affiliates Program.

Shealeigh Voitl is digital and print editor at Project Censored.

The post Unplugging the News: The Fight for Local Journalism and the State of the Free Press (encore) appeared first on KPFA.

Project Censored’s new yearbook, “State of the Free Press 2025” is fresh off the presses.

In the first segment, Andy Lee Roth and Shealeigh Voitl talk with Mickey about the extensive process that culminates in the selection of the annual “Top 25” censored stories. They also speak about the need to extend media analysis beyond fact-checking to “frame-checking.”

In the second half, Mickey and co-host Eleanor Goldfield speak about Eleanor’s new article on media literacy for activists, including various ideas on how activists can successfully interact with the different categories of media. Mickey and Eleanor also alert listeners to the dangers of House Bill 9495, a measure that would empower the U.S. Treasury Secretary to unilaterally remove an organization’s non-profit status.

GUESTS:

Andy Lee Roth is Associate Director of Project Censored and the coordinator of the Project’s Campus Affiliates Program.

Shealeigh Voitl is digital and print editor at Project Censored.

The post Unplugging the News: The Fight for Local Journalism and the State of the Free Press appeared first on KPFA.