Back in the old days of newspapering in America – when reporters and editors still used typewriters, pencils and paper to craft their stories – news articles were carried by copy boys from one editor to another.

The couriers picked up the copy in one wire basket and brought it to a desk on another. At each stage of the article's development, there would be new scrutiny. Spelling would be checked. The writing would be reworked. Potential legal problems would be considered. Headlines would be written.

There was always the chance an article might not make it to the pressroom. On each editor's desk, in addition to the wire baskets, sat a sharp metal spike. If an editor chose not to publish a particular article, he would simply slap it on the spike – and it would never see the light of day.

Thus a story that got "killed" was said to have been "spiked."

I remember those days. But the press hasn't changed all that much. Stories are still "spiked" all the time in American newsrooms – despite the fact we no longer have metal spikes on our desks.

And this kind of self-censorship by the press often leaves the public more in the dark than the most biased and one-sided reporting. Sometimes it's not what the press tells you that distorts reality, but what the press doesn't tell you.

Because of that reality, I began compiling annual reports on the most under-reported stories way back in 1988 – long before there was an Internet or a WorldNetDaily.

Lately, with the advent of the Net, this "Operation Spike" report has been more effective than ever at giving squelched reports one more opportunity for coverage.

Here are the picks by WND readers and editors for 2003:

1. The de-Christianization of America via the court system

From the judicial banning of the 10 Commandments (and subsequent expulsion of Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore) to the outlawing of the "Under God" phrase from the Pledge of Allegiance to litigation aimed at banning everything from Christmas nativity scenes to the very mention of the word "Jesus" in graduation ceremonies – 2003 saw a wholesale explosion of judicial activism, the net effect of which has been to further erase America's Christian history and institutions from public life.

2. NASA's use of a green-friendly but inferior material on heat shields that broke up prior to the shuttle disaster

One day after last February's tragic re-entry explosion of the Columbia space shuttle, WorldNetDaily revealed in an exclusive report that the irreparable launch-time damage to the external tank's foam insulation, which broke free and slammed into the leading edge of the left wing, was likely due to environmental correctness. With the help of internal NASA documents, WND showed that, for the past six years, America's federal space agency has used a more "environmentally friendly" – and inferior – material for foam insulation.

3. The legal implications of the Supreme Court's "sodomy" ruling

The court effectively opened the door not only to homosexual marriage, but to legalized polygamy, incest, bestiality and other previously prohibited relationships, all based on their consensual nature. In other words, traditional notions of morality no longer matter.

4. Persecution of Christians worldwide, especially those in countries seen as "friends" of the United States

Once again, one of the establishment press' great unreported stories this year has been the extent and brutality of persecution of Christians around the world – even in nations America considers friendly, moderate, "partners" in the war on terror.

5. A major federal study that found no connection between gun laws and gun violence

Virtually ignored by the news media, a comprehensive review of America's gun-control laws, conducted by the federal Center for Disease Control and Prevention, found no proof whatsoever that gun laws – including waiting periods and bans on certain weapons – reduce gun-related violence.

6. The continued vulnerability of U.S. airports

Despite a major effort since Sept. 11, 2001, to tighten security at the nation's airports, a major hole in security persists, WND reported earlier this year.

7. The ominous free-speech implications of the Supreme Court's decision upholding the McCain-Feingold campaign-finance law

Although the Supreme Court's decision upholding the McCain-Feingold campaign finance law made the front-page of every newspaper and the top of every news broadcast in America earlier this month, what was lacking, or "spiked," was any real reporting on the ruling's disastrous effect upon political free speech in America.

8. The Beltway sniper investigation "hero" Police Chief Charles Moose was so obsessed with avoiding "racial profiling" that he seriously hindered the investigation

9. The Terri Schindler-Schiavo case

While the Terri Schindler-Schiavo case ultimately received massive media coverage, that reporting was often more distorted to the point that the real issues of the case became clouded.

10. Human bio-chip implant arrives for cashless transactions

Those are the stories you helped select along with WND editors. Let's hope these important stories get a second – and, perhaps, last – chance to get the exposure they deserve.