Self-Censorship: The Coporate Media Way from Boing Boing: A U.N. commercial depicts American girls playing in a soccer match. A girl steps on a landmine and there's a big explosion. Kids get blown apart. CNN and other networks don't want to air the ad. The explosion appears to kill and injure some girls, sparking panic and chaos among parents and other children. Shrieks of horror are heard through much of the spot, and a father is shown cradling his daughter's lifeless body, moments after celebrating a goal she had scored. It closes with a tag line reading: "If there were landmines here, would you stand for them anywhere? Help the U.N. eradicate landmines everywhere." Why won't you see this commercial on U.S. networks? It isn't because they're trying to play with monopoly money, but rather because the United States has 11 million APLs stockpiled--the third largest mine arsenal in the world. We're also one of only 14 countries that refuses to halt production of landmines. To call into question any aspect of U.S. foreign policy is anethema to the corporate-controlled media. If we were really living in a democratic, capitalist nation, anyone who could afford to pay for an ad would be able to buy the airtime. How is it possible to air ads by the Swiftboat liars and not those of the United Nations? The only answer is corporate self-censorship.