Matt Jordan
Matt Jordan is head of the Department of Film Production and Media Studies in the Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications at Penn State University, and Director of the News Literacy Initiative. He writes and teaches classes about how today’s media systems have been altered by digital technology and what it means for democracy. He is executive producer of the documentary series HumIn Focus and author of dozens of articles and books on popular culture in America and Europe. His latest book is Danger Sound Klaxon! The Horn that Changed History.
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AI has been in the news a lot lately. But what happens when AI starts making the news? Generative AI–the type of artificial intelligence that pulls from existing data to create new content–presents a significant challenge to journalism. It can enable misinformation to spread like wildfire. How can the average consumer tell what’s real and what’s not? On this episode of News Over Noise, hosts Leah Dajches and Matt Jordan find out by talking with Jack Brewster from NewsGuard, an organization that provides transparent tools to counter misinformation. -
In 2014, the podcast Serial debuted, sparking a fascination with long-form reporting that continues to this day. Virtually every major news outlet has a podcast as part of their brand, some have multiple series, each dedicated to a different beat. What is it about this medium that captures our attention? Can this be a place where investigative journalism could find a viable outlet? In this episode of News Over Noise, hosts Leah Dajches and Matt Jourdan find out by talking with researcher, journalist, and artist Dr. Chenjerai Kumanyika.THIS EPISODE CONTAINS EXPLICIT CONTENT -
Although the US constitution guarantees the right to a free press, that right does not extend to indigenous nations, who have the sovereignty to make their own laws and constitutions. The documentary Bad Press explores what happens when the Muscogee Creek Nation faces a threat to its free press. In this episode of News Over Noise, hosts Leah Dajches and Matt Jordan talk with director Rebecca Landsberry-Baker and Angel Ellis, one of the journalists featured in the film.THIS EPISODE CONTAINS EXPLICIT CONTENT -
Climate change was once a bipartisan issue…until it wasn’t. What happened? To find out, hosts Leah Dajches and Matt Jordan talk with Geoff Dembicki, an investigative climate journalist about how fossil fuel companies used the public media system to sew skepticism and cynicism about climate change. -
Newsroom leadership can make a big difference in what stories are told and how they're covered, and whose voices are elevated. So, what happens when the makeup of those positions is out of alignment with the demographics of the population? On this episode of News Over Noise, hosts Leah Dajches and Matt Jordan talk with Emily Ramshaw, the CEO and co-founder of The 19th* about what news looks like when it's reported by the nation’s first independent nonprofit newsroom at the intersection of gender, politics and policy. -
When you think of TikTok, what comes to mind? Cats? Dance videos? Taylor Swift? What about...news? On this episode of News Over Noise, hosts Leah Dajches and Matt Jordan talk with multimedia journalist Enrique Anarte about how and why he is using Tik Tok to reach a very news averse demographic—and about the implications this type of reporting might have for the future of journalism. -
Younger Americans pay less attention to the news than any other age group. And this is kind of a big deal, since a functioning democracy relies on an informed citizenry. While many news organizations are pinning their hopes on interactive and mobile technologies to try to engage younger audiences, research shows there may be a simpler, lower-tech way to cultivate the next generation of news consumers. In this episode of News Over Noise, hosts Lead Dajches and Matt Jordan with media scholar Stephanie Lynn Edgerly about the concept of news socialization and parent-learning model. -
It’s hard to go a day without seeing mention of AI. While the technology itself may be groundbreaking, the reporting of it isn’t. News about technology is not new; it’s dominated the front pages for decades, with near constant reporting on the next best thing that will change the world as we know it. And, clearly it has, but not always in a good way. What happens when technology reporting misses the mark and fails to give us the full story? On this episode of News Over Noise, hosts Leah Dajches and Matt Jordan talk with reporter Karl Bode about what technology reporting has done well and the times it has fallen short and failed to serve the public interest. -
Ever feel lousy and look up your symptoms on the internet? Sometimes the information you find can hurt as much as it helps. Health misinformation is something we’ve all experienced and our emotions play a big role in how vulnerable we are to it. Subtle differences in wording or the order in which a story is presented to you can make a massive difference in how you respond to it and what actions you take—or don’t take—going forward. On this episode of News Over Noise, hosts Leah Dajches and Matt Jordan talk with media scholar Jess Myrick about what this all means for health reporting and the spread of misinformation. -
The reporting styles and strategies that served us well in the past—in a time when debate and political ads still had the potential to sway voters—are falling short when it comes to conveying the depth of division in our country. By adhering to outdated conventions, media outlets are failing to call out moves towards fascism, violence, and even civil war. In this episode of News Over Noise, hosts Leah Dajches and Matt Jordan talk with Will Bunch, a columnist for the Philadelphia Inquirer, about how business-as-usual political reporting can endanger democracy.
