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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

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

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

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.

Young people are often described as disengaged, overwhelmed, or indifferent to the news, but those labels miss what’s actually happening. In this episode of News Over Noise, hosts Matt Jordan and Cory Barker talk with Rachel Besharat Mann, Associate Professor of the Practice at Wesleyan University, about how adolescents and young adults navigate news in social media environments. Drawing on her research, Mann examines news avoidance, algorithmic trust, influencer culture, and the role of identity, emotion, and wellness in shaping how young people interpret information and develop early civic identities in a platform-driven media landscape.

As prediction markets move from the fringes into mainstream news coverage, questions about ethics, accountability, and public trust are becoming harder to ignore. In this episode of News Over Noise, hosts Matt Jordan and Cory Barker talk with Judd Legum, founder and editor of Popular Information, about the growing influence of prediction markets like Kalshi and Polymarket and what happens when the logic of gambling collides with journalism. The conversation explores the financialization of public opinion, the erosion of editorial judgment, and what’s at stake when human consequences are reduced to probabilities and payouts.

Misinformation now moves at the speed of algorithms and with generative AI, it is getting harder to tell what is real and what is manufactured. In this episode of News Over Noise, hosts Matt Jordan and Cory Barker talk with Sofia Rubinson, analyst at NewsGuard and senior editor of Reality Check, about how false claims spread, why AI is accelerating their reach, and what that means for public trust. From viral images and foreign disinformation campaigns to health hoaxes and AI-generated content, Rubinson breaks down how false stories move from fringe platforms into the mainstream and how NewsGuard tracks, debunks, and analyzes those narratives in real time.

As political pressure, corporate power, and platform dynamics collide, long-standing protections for free speech and a free press are being tested in new ways. In this episode of News Over Noise, hosts Matt Jordan and Cory Barker talk with Dr. Amy Sanders, Penn State’s John and Ann Curley Chair in First Amendment Studies, about what the First Amendment really protects and how legal frameworks, business interests, and political forces are reshaping the Fourth Estate.

This month, hear an opera overture by Domenico Cimarosa from the Penn's Woods Music Festival Orchestra; the Penn State Philharmonic in the overture, “From the South” by Sir Edward Elgar; and PSU faculty members Margaret Fey, bassoon and Timothy Shafer, piano in a piece called “Mathematics” by contemporary composer Alyssa Morris.

In this episode of News Over Noise, Matt Jordan and Cory Barker talk with Timothy Richardson of PEN America about how rhetoric has shifted into action and discuss why press freedom organizations that once focused overseas are now turning their attention back home.