Jenna Spinelle
Democracy Works Podcast HostJenna Spinelle is the Communications Specialist for the McCourtney Institute for Democracy at Penn State. She is responsible for shaping all of the institute's external communication, including website content, social media, multimedia, and media outreach.
She holds a B.A. in journalism from Penn State and is an instructor in the Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications.
Prior to joining the McCourtney Institute, Spinelle worked in Penn State's Undergraduate Admissions Office and College of Information Sciences and Technology.
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Artificial intelligence is reshaping how we create, consume, and trust information. In this special crossover episode of News Over Noise, Cory Barker and guest co-host Jenna Spinelli explore AI’s impact on news, education, and democracy with Sean Marcus of the Poynter Institute, Pamela Brunskill of the News Literacy Project, and Jenna Meleedy of the National Association for Media Literacy Education. Together, they unpack the rise of deepfakes, the “liar’s dividend,” and how educators are helping students mind the gap between breaking news and verified information. They also share strategies for navigating misinformation, using AI ethically in the newsroom, and maintaining trust in an era when technology can fabricate anything. -
From the decline of Google search to the hidden economics of surveillance and algorithmic coercion, science fiction author and activist Cory Doctorow talks with Matt Jordan and guest host Jenna Spinelli about how monopolies distort our information ecosystem, erode public trust, and supercharge disinformation. But it’s not all doom and gloom: they also explore real-world strategies for reclaiming digital space—from antitrust reform to coalition building to radical imagination.THIS EPISODE CONTAINS EXPLICIT CONTENT -
We end this season the way it began, with a roundtable discussion on the state of American democracy. In this episode, Democracy Works hosts Michael… -
This week, we explore the questions of who governs in a democracy and what happens when the power is taken away from the people. Ashley Nickels, associate… -
From economic inequality to racial injustice and political polarization, the deck seems to be stacked against rebuilding America's social fabric. Our… -
Misinformation, disinformation, propaganda — the terms are thrown around a lot but often used to describe the same general trend toward conspiratorial… -
On this Take Note, we hear about the Colored Conventions Project. For much of the 19th Century, African Americans gathered in cities across the United… -
The Federalist Society began as a way for libertarian and conservative intellectuals to share and advance legal and policy ideas. Over the past 40 years,… -
For nearly 100 years, African Americans gathered in cities across the United States to participate in state and national-level political meetings that… -
At a time when democracy is in retreat around the world, it can be difficult to find the motivation to keep movements going. Our guests this week offer a…
