News Over Noise

Author: Penn State News Literacy Initiative, Matt Jordan, Leah Dajches

If you find yourself avoiding the news, youre not alone. But whats turning you off is likely not the news itselfits the noise surrounding it. News Over Noise explores the challenge of separating spin and click-bait from good journalism and why it matters. This podcast empowers our citizenry by giving listeners the tools they need to balance staying informed while protecting their well-being and the public good.
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Language: en

Genres: Education, News, News Commentary, Self-Improvement

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Crowdsourcing Reality: How Participatory Disinformation Is Shaping the News
Episode 410
Thursday, 7 May, 2026

Special thanks to our guest: Kate Starbird is a Professor at the Department of Human Centered Design & Engineering (HCDE) at the University of Washington (UW). Kate’s research sits within the fields of human-computer interaction (HCI) and computer supported cooperative work (CSCW). Extending from early work in crisis informatics, her research program has followed the phenomenon of online rumoring down the rabbit hole and into some of the toxic online spaces that are increasingly (re)shaping discourse, values, and politics around the world. Her work has revealed how online disinformation — i.e. the intentional manipulation of discourse for political gain — is inherently participatory, taking shape through collaborations between witting agents and unwitting (though willing) crowds. Dr. Starbird received her BS in Computer Science from Stanford (1997) and her PhD in Technology, Media and Society from the University of Colorado (2012). She is a co-founder of the UW Center for an Informed Public, which works to strengthen democratic discourse by building resilience to online manipulation. News Over Noise is a co-production of WPSU and Penn State’s Bellisario College of Communications. News Over Noise is a co-production of WPSU and Penn State’s Bellisario College of Communications. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.