At a time when disinformation, consolidation of mainstream corporate media, and industry division along party lines are at an all-time high in the United States, Project Censored's mission to uncover the most important but underreported stories of the previous year is more important than ever.

State of the Free Press 2022 continues Project Censored's long tradition of publicizing the most important stories ignored or obscured by the mainstream news establishment, exposing the lies and spin of corporate Junk Food News (frivolous stories that distract the public from actual news) and News Abuse (important stories covered in ways that undermine public understanding) while promoting the best independent journalism, research, and activism. Most importantly, this edition helps endow readers with the critical media literacy skills required to hold power to account for distorting or censoring news coverage.