Censoring absolute truth by omission
The corporate mainstream media (the familiar mass media outlets) adopt, quite unconsciously, a filter system when reporting, which leads to the silencing of important facts, stories and people. Below, I highlight two of the most important contemporary examples of this censorship by omission.
The BBC is oft held up as a beacon of objective fact-collecting and quality reporting. In the lead up to the invasion of Iraq, Stop The War Coalition (STWC) activated 2 million people to protest on the streets of London. Andrew Bergin, a press officer for STWC explained to media watchdog Media Lens:
Representatives of the coalition have been invited to appear on every TV channel except the BBC. The BBC have taken a conscious decision to actively exclude Stop the War Coalition people from their programmes, even though everyone knows we are central to organising the massive anti-war movement.
Documentary and indelible impressions
On the potential of films to make profound impressions on viewers