Project Censored released its list of the most censored stories of 2023-2024 on December 3. Started in 1976 by Professor Carl Jensen at Sonoma State University, the project now includes faculty and students from around North America. The Top 25 Stories of 2023-24 have been selected from several hundred candidate stories submitted by 206 student researchers from nine US college and university campuses.
Check out the full list of the 25 most censored stories of 2023-2024 at: https://www.projectcensored.org
#10 Generative AI Apps Raise Serious Security Concerns
More than just an existential threat AI apps are a threat to cybersecurity. Original reporting in Infosecurity Magazine, found that sensitive data that is input into these apps can also be extracted, making businesses, organizations and governments open to data breaches and attacks.
#9 “Acquitted-Conduct” Challenged by US Commission
Federal judges have long been able to, in a practice known as acquitted-conduct sentencing, use charges that defendants were already acquitted of to calculate their current sentence under federal sentencing guidelines. However, in April of 2024, the United States Sentencing Commission voted to end the practice. “Not Guilty means not guilty.” said US District Judge Carlton W. Reeves. Law360 and Reason magazine have led the way with their reporting on this issue.
#8 New Federal Rule Limits Transcript Withholding by Colleges and Universities
Transcript withholding is a tactic used by colleges and universities to collect unpaid debts. Many have questioned the practice’s ethics and effectiveness. Inside Higher Education reported on the rule change that would bring institutions receiving federal funds into line with states like Colorado, which banned transcript withholding in 2022.
#7 Military Personnel Target Gen Z Recruits with Lurid Social Media Tactics
MintPress News reported on the military’s use of ‘thirst-traps’ to lure in new recruits. Sex sells, and Army Psychological Operations Specialist Hailey Lujan is one of them selling it. Lujan’s TikTok has amassed over 300k followers. Her videos are sexy, suggestive and always hinting for the viewer to join up.
#6 Global Forest Protection Goals at Risk
In 2021, the UN adopted measures to halt deforestation by 2030. A Forest Declaration Assessment released in October of 2023 found that deforestation was happening at a rate 21% higher and in tropical forests 33% higher, than rates agreed upon in 2021. The story was only covered by The Conversation and Common Dreams.
#5 Abortion Services Censored on Social Platforms Globally
According to a November 2023 report by the Women’s Media Center online abortion services and providers are facing global censorship on social media outlets after the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade. Platforms like Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and Google have all restricted reproductive health information. Only Wired, Slate and The Guardian covered this major story.
#4 Natural Gas Industry Hid Health and Climate Risks of Gas Stoves
Rebeca Leber, writing for Vox, detailed how the gas industry used tactics similar to big-Tobacco to avoid mounting evidence of human health and environmental ills associated with gas stoves. In November of 2023, NPR and the Climate Investigations Center published evidence of a widespread disinformation campaign.
#3 Saltwater Intrusion Threatens US Freshwater Supplies
In the fall of 2023, saltwater traveled up the Mississippi River and contaminated the drinking water systems of communities across the delta. Rising sea levels have made saltwater intrusion more common and a threat across more of the nation. Holly Michael with The Conversation has exposed this nationwide threat where other outlets have downplayed the seriousness while covering the intrusion in the Louisiana delta in fall of 2023, as an isolated event.
#2 A Vicious Circle of Climate and Debt Traps World’s Most Vulnerable Nations
The climate crisis is having disproportionate impacts on poorer countries. Countries are trapped between debt to international lenders like the IMF, responding to increases in natural disasters and taking costly action to reduce climate impacts. “How do we pursue climate action? We are fiscally constrained,” said Minister of State for Finance in Belize, Christopher Coye, in the World Resources Institute report issued in September of 2023.
#1 1000s Killed or Injured at Work
Working not only sucks, it’s often dangerous. Those dangers tend to disproportionately affect non-white and low income earners. Tyler Walicek reported for Truthout that the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries found a 5.7 percent increase in workplace deaths during the 2021-2022 census. In 2022, 6000 US workers died on the job. On average, a US worker was killed at work every 96 minutes. On average there were 3.7 workplace deaths per 100,000 full-time workers. Black workers (4.2) and Chicanx workers (4.6) had significantly higher rates of workplace deaths.
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