Update 10/7/13: Project Censored says Pvt. Manning’s case was the top underreported story of 2012-13.

digg

Project Censored, which aims to “promote independent investigative journalism, media literacy, and critical thinking,” writes about why Private Manning’s case merited so much attention:

According to Manning’s testimony in February 2013, he tried to release the Afghanistan and Iraq War Logs through conventional sources. In winter 2010, he contacted the Washington Post, the New York Times, and Politico in hopes that they would publish the materials. Only after being rebuffed by these three outlets did Manning begin uploading documents to WikiLeaks. Al Jazeera reported that Manning’s testimony “raises the question of whether the mainstream press was prepared to host the debate on US interventions and foreign policy that Manning had in mind.”

And on what mainstream reporters focused on instead:

US corporate media have largely shunned Manning’s case, not to mention the importance of the information he released. When corporate media have focused on Manning, this coverage has often emphasized his sexual orientation and past life, rather than his First Amendment rights or the abusive nature of his imprisonment, which includes almost three years without trial and nearly one year in “administrative segregation,” the military equivalent of solitary.

Read the rest of that story here.
See the full list of underreported stories here.