In the age of new and powerful tools of communication, democracy has become more fragile and vulnerable to attacks by ideological extremists and partisans.
What is clear is that the tools of communication, culture, literacy, and critical thinking are more crucial than ever in creating both informed citizens and maintaining a substantive democracy.
STATE OF THE FREE PRESS 2024 comes at a time when trust in the media is at an all-time low. A 2022 Gallup poll found that just one in nine Americans had confidence in TV news, and fewer than one in six believed in the printed press. A subsequent survey revealed that no fewer than half of Americans believe national news organizations intentionally deceive the public in order to suit their own agendas. It’s a grim reality that threatens the public’s ability to hold the powerful to account and stifles access to the high-quality information that is the lifeblood of democracy.
MICKEY HUFF is the director of Project Censored and president of the nonprofit Media Freedom Foundation. To date, he has co-edited fourteen editions of the Project’s yearbook, including, most recently, Project Censored’s State of the Free Press 2022, with Andy Lee Roth. He is also co-author with Nolan Higdon of United States of Distraction and the critical thinking textbook Let’s Agree to Disagree. Huff received the Beverly Kees Educator Award as part of the 2019 James Madison Freedom of Information Award from the Society of Professional Journalists, Northern California.
He is professor of social science, history, and journalism at Diablo Valley College, where he co-chairs the history program and is chair of the Journalism Department. Huff is executive producer and host of The Project Censored Show, a weekly syndicated public affairs program that airs on 50 stations across the U.S. on Pacifica Radio.
