"News Over Noise" is a podcast and radio program about how media shapes what we know, what we believe, and how we understand the world around us. In each episode, hosts Matt Jordan and Cory Barker talk with journalists, researchers, and industry experts to examine the forces driving today’s information environment. The show explores how news is produced, distributed, and consumed, and what that means for public trust, democracy, and everyday life.
The coming season of News Over Noise begins Thursday, May 7, 2026 at 3 p.m. on WPSU-FM, and continues on Thursday afternoons through June 4. Here is this season's radio schedule:
May 7, 3 p.m.
"Best Frenemies: AI’s Ambivalent Impact on News and Democracy" and "When Universities Police the Press: The Fight Over Student Journalism," with Jim Rodenbush
May 14, 3 p.m.
"The Road More Traveled: How Misinformation Spreads," with Sofia Rubinson and "The Chilling Effect: The First Amendment, The Fourth Estate, and The Trump Administration" with Amy Sanders.
May 21, 3 p.m.
"Place Your Bets: The Casino-fication of News,' with Judd Legum and "Eat Your Broccoli: What Media Literacy Misses About Young People," with Rachel Besharat Mann.
May 28, 3 p.m.
"Trust Fall: The Long Slide of American Press Freedom," with Timothy Richardson and "The Hollowing Out the Fourth Estate: Requiem for the Post-Gazette," with Tony Norman.
June 4, 3 p.m.
"How the Cold War Broke the News," with Barbie Zelizer.
"Crowdsourcing Reality: How Participatory Disinformation Is Shaping the News" with Kate Starbird.
You'll find the full-length podcast versions of these shows on YouTube.
News Over Noise is produced by the Penn State Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications and WPSU. This program has been funded by the office of the Executive Vice President and Provost at Penn State and is part of the Penn State News Literacy Initiative.
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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. -
When student journalists at Indiana University published routine accountability reporting, they did not expect rising pressure from the institution they were covering. Behind closed doors, university leaders began to question editorial decisions, push advisers to intervene, and restrict the independence that had long defined the newsroom. In this episode of News Over Noise, hosts Matt Jordan and Cory Barker talk with Jim Rodenbush, former director of student media at Indiana University, about the events that led to his removal, the political climate surrounding universities, and the growing divide between public relations priorities and independent reporting. The story in Indiana reflects a larger national trend that affects press freedom, the future of student media, and the communities that rely on young reporters to fill widening gaps in local news coverage. -
Do you feel discouraged or even defeated about the state of the world? So much so that you find yourself disengaging? What if we told you that there was another path? That there’s a form of reporting that doesn’t just tell you what's wrong in your community but actively works to empower you to help set it right? On this episode ofNews Over Noise, host Matt Jordan and Leah Dajches talk with James Causey, a projects reporter and columnist at theMilwaukee Journal Sentinel, about solutions journalism and the potential it holds for strengthening democracy. -
The question of who owns the news has serious implications for the quality of journalism we have access to. Media buyouts and mergers have become so commonplace you might not even realize that your local paper or news station is owned by a massive corporation in some far-off place. You might think, “I’m still getting access to information, so why does diversity in media ownership matter?” To find out, Leah Dajches and Matt Jordan talk with Michael Copps, a former commissioner for the Federal Communications Commission. -
“My experience is that audiences want us to be truthful and fair, but they don’t want us to be robots.” That’s a quote from a blog post by journalist Lewis Raven Wallace—a post that led to him being fired from Marketplace. Wallace has become an outspoken critique of the notion that “objectivity” is a catchall for accurate journalism. In this episode of News Over Noise, hosts Leah Dajches and Matt Jordan talk with Wallace about the concept of journalistic neutrality and about what can be done to restore some lost public trust in journalism. -
How do you respond when someone disagrees with you? If you’re like many Americans, you probably end the conversation and write them off. And who can blame you when debates are frequently framed as moralistic disputes between the righteous and the enemy? But what's the cost of walking away instead of making an effort to engage? On this episode of News Over Noise, Matt Jordan and Leah Dajches find out by talking with Anand Giridharadas, author of theNew York Times bestseller, The Persuaders. -
Terms like trolls and butterfly attacks sound like something out of a childhood fable. Unfortunately, in the digital information landscape, these terms represent very real tactics that can have devastating effects on democracy. What are these bad-actors are trying to accomplish? And, how can you protect yourself from becoming prey to their malicious schemes? To find out, Matt Jordan and Leah Dajches talk with Dr. Joan Donovan, one of the leading experts on media manipulation, and disinformation campaigns, and online extremism. -
Social media often gets a bad rap, but it plays an undeniably critical role in today’s media landscape. With younger people increasingly opting to get their information from platforms like TikTok instead of traditional news sources, its significance is only likely to increase. On this episode of News Over Noise, hosts Matt Jordan and Leah Dajches talk with journalist, activist, and social media strategist Annie Wu about the power of social media to drive the agenda when it comes to news, politics, and public opinion. -
Most of us get our information fed to us through our smartphones. Constant bombardment and easy access to headlines, video clips, and sound bites help create the illusion that we are well-informed about the goings-on of our world. But...are we? On this episode of News Over Noise, host Matt Jordan and Leah Dajches talk with media scholar Homero Gil de Zúñiga about what the News Finds Me mentality is, how it impacts civic engagement, and why it might be leaving us less informed than we realize. -
Whether your eyelids get heavy at the mere mention of an economic story or you're a seasoned economic news consumer and want to know how you can find reliable, quality reporting, this is a discussion for you. On this episode of News Over Noise, Hosts Matt Jordan and Leah Dajches talk with Bob Frick, Navy Federal’s Corporate Economist, about what makes for quality—and not so quality—economic reporting and how you can tell the difference. They also discuss how you cut through the buzzwords and vague characterizations to get to the bottom of what’s actually going on.
