Short Supply: Empathy, Attention, and America’s Legal Labyrinth
In the first part of the program, we’re joined by board-certified psychiatrist and writer Dr. Samaiya Mushtaq who details how empathy as a skill requires attention, a commodity in short supply these days. Dr. Mushtaq outlines how the framework of social media allows us to not only dehumanize others but indeed ourselves, to avoid discomfort through a simple scroll, and to become ever more intolerant of those we perceive as insurmountably different than ourselves. She also discusses how this connects to the rise of anxiety, depression, and isolation in our society. Later in the program, journalist, researcher and policy director at Defending Rights and Dissent Chip Gibbons comes back on the show to help us wade through the morass of courts and legal proceedings that create a whiplash of headaches for those trying to negotiate access to supposed rights such as the first amendment. Chip gives historical context to today’s free speech battles and outlines nefarious tactics such as blacklists and their role in legal cases.
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The Right to Criticize: Honoring Independent Journalism at the Izzy Awards
Indeed, as our first amendment rights continue to be gravely threatened, real, independent frontline journalists are more than truth-tellers, they are the keepers of ideals we as Americans are taught to revere. so, this week, a special program: excerpts from the 17th annual Izzy Awards Show which took place at the Park Center for Independent Media at Ithaca College in Ithaca New York in early May of this year.
The Izzy awards are named after the famous and indeed infamous and intrepid muckraker I.F. ‘Izzy’ Stone…
So this week, we’re featuring remarks by presenters, journalists and media scholars as well as remarks by this year’s winners. Project Censored director and radio show host Mickey Huff was the host of the awards show. He is also the distinguished director of the Park Center for Independent Media.
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Marketing Mars and AI Battle Space
Today on the program in the first segment: Marketing Mars. Zara Zimbardo deconstructs the mythologies of American Exceptionalism and Manifest Destiny as they apply to settler colonialism in space, and the billionaire tech bro infatuation with our closest planetary neighbor, Mars. Looking through several analytical frames, Zimbardo debunks any notion that there is a Planet B to escape to, remarking “we’re encouraged to believe that human ingenuity and industry can turn uninhabitable Mars into a habitable Earth. This fantasy is a distraction from the reality that Earth is being rapidly turned into Mars.” In the second segment today, we are rejoined by investigative journalist Peter Byrne. We look at his latest installments for Military AI Watch. We’ll look at the Stargate Fiasco, World War 3 will be fought inside data centers, and his most recent, AI Battle Space: Weaponizing the 5G Internet of Things.
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Glen E. Friedman on His Photography, Bad Brains, and Rebellious American Music
In this episode of the Project Censored Show, guest host Mischa Geracoulis, Project Censored’s managing editor, speaks with legendary photographer, Glen E. Friedman, about his latest book of Bad Brains photographs, Fearless Vampire Killers (Akashic Books, 2025), Glen’s work in photography and music, punk rock’s place in history, and the parallels between independent media and independent music. One of the more enduring attributes of Friedman’s work is its unspoken message of championing freedom, especially apropos when civil liberties and human rights are under fire.
Friedman’s iconic Burning Flags travelling exhibition that launched in Barcelona in 2022 will be making its US debut at the Woody Guthrie Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma on September 18, 2025 through February 15, 2026.
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Disinfo, Decline, and Dysfunction
In the first segment of this week's Project Censored Show, Mickey welcomes back media scholar Nolan Higdon. They discuss his new podcast Disinfo Detox and recurring special feature “The Gaslight Gazette" that analyzes current events and media coverage of them through a critical media literacy lens aiming to deconstruct deceptive media messaging. They also discuss legacy media's failure to adequately cover Joe Biden’s physical and cognitive decline in the last election, which a new book co-authored by CNN’s Jake Tapper addresses, though the authors shift blame from corporate media to the Democratic Party without noting their own role in lack of in-depth coverage even though there were stories published at the time in the independent press. Later in the show Eleanor Goldfield and Mickey present another installment in their "Is This the Best We Can Do" segment that analyzes the competency of current government appointees for the positions they fulfill. They provide examples regarding the current heads of FEMA, the Department of Homeland Security, the former spokesperson for Biden’s Secretary of State, and more.
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We are Project Censored and after 40 years of creating an annual book showcasing media censorship we are bringing the fight to your ears and eyes. The Project Censored Show is a weekly public affairs program that discusses independent journalism, media censorship, deconstructing propaganda, and supporting a truly free press. The program focuses on “The News That Didn’t Make the News” and each week we conduct in depth interviews with guests and offer hard hitting commentary and analysis on the key political, social, and economic issues of the day with an emphasis on critical media literacy.
The views and opinions expressed on this program/podcast are those of the guests and hosts and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Project Censored. This broadcast is intended for educational purposes as part of our mission to promote critical media literacy, independent journalism, and democratic engagement. We aim to foster thoughtful dialogue and encourage listeners to think critically about the information they receive from all media sources. Project Censored is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and does not endorse or oppose any candidate for public office.
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