The NewsWorthy: Special Edition
Teens, Trust & Truth – New Data on News Literacy
Host: Erica Mandy
Guest: Peter Adams (Senior Vice President of Research and Design, News Literacy Project)
Date: November 8, 2025
Episode Overview
This special edition of The NewsWorthy dives into alarming new data about teenagers’ understanding and trust in the news, as revealed by a recent survey from the News Literacy Project. Host Erica Mandy is joined by Peter Adams to discuss why so many teens misunderstand how journalism really works, what misperceptions they hold about newsrooms and news ethics, and how this could make them vulnerable to misinformation and conspiracy theories. They explore what people—especially educators, parents, and the media—can do to improve news literacy and skepticism in the age of social media and AI.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Teens’ Misperceptions About Journalism (01:24–03:57)
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Survey Findings:
- Teens believe unethical newsroom behaviors (e.g. making up stories, giving advertisers special treatment) are more common than ethical ones (e.g. correcting errors, confirming facts).
- “Between 50 and 60% of respondents think that those unethical behaviors are things that professional journalists and news organizations always, almost always, or often do. But only about 25 to 30% think that the ethical actions that are far more common are things that those organizations always, almost always, or often do.” — Peter Adams [02:43]
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Why the Misperceptions?
- Driven by social media, entertainment, and broad negative discourse about the media.
- Praise for trustworthy reporting is rarely seen online, amplifying negativity and outliers.
- “People rarely take to social media to praise a report that does a good job, but they often take to social media to complain about a headline that they think is unfair.” — Peter Adams [03:20]
2. Evaluating Credibility and Navigating News on Social Media (04:37–06:20)
- How to Identify Credible Organizations:
- Look for values such as accuracy, fairness, impartiality, accountability, independence, and putting the public’s interest first.
- Take social media criticism with skepticism—often, viral headline comparisons are misleading or out of context.
- “I would say take those kinds of assertions on social media with a grain of salt and always go look at the actual coverage so that you can decide if the criticism is accurate.” — Peter Adams [05:51]
3. Impact of Misperceptions & Cynicism vs. Skepticism (06:20–08:50)
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Consequences:
- Teens may believe all sources are equally untrustworthy, making them susceptible to misinformation.
- Importance of helping youth distinguish between credible and low-quality sources.
- “It isn’t being perfect because then no source of information would ever be credible, but it does require a demonstrated commitment to some key characteristics that make information credible.” — Peter Adams [07:30]
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Healthy Skepticism vs. Problematic Cynicism:
- Skepticism: Questioning evidence, demanding sources of proof.
- Cynicism: Dismissing all information as false or intentionally manipulative.
- “Cynics assume that everyone is out to manipulate them, that no one in the information climate today is actually trying to inform them.” — Peter Adams [08:18]
4. Notable, Surprising Data Points (08:50–10:01)
- When asked what journalists are doing well, the most common teen answers were negative:
- Top answer: “lying or deceiving people”
- Second: “nothing, they’re doing nothing well”
- Reveals a chronic negativity toward journalism, despite positive work being done.
5. Who's Responsible for Fixing News Literacy? (10:01–11:35)
- Responsibility is shared among:
- News organizations (transparency & process education)
- Educators (across all subjects)
- Parents & teens (active, inquisitive news consumption)
- Lawmakers & tech companies (promoting credible information)
- “There’s plenty [tech companies] can do to help promote credible information and help people understand what they can believe.” — Peter Adams [11:31]
6. What Effective News Literacy Education Looks Like (14:31–16:08)
- Five Standards of News Literacy (developed by the News Literacy Project):
- Distinguishing between types of content (reporting vs. opinion vs. ads vs. entertainment)
- Understanding First Amendment and the role of a free press
- Recognizing standards and characteristics of quality journalism
- Identifying misinformation patterns
- Making sense of a blended, social-media driven information landscape.
- “Those streams make all information look the same… it’s easier now than ever to fall into the trap of just seeing everything as content.” — Peter Adams [14:54]
7. Balancing Critique with Constructive Appreciation (16:08–17:33)
- Educators should present both negative examples of lapses in journalism and showcase high-quality, impactful reporting.
- Solely focusing on media failures perpetuates cynicism.
8. The AI Challenge: Synthetic Media and Deepfakes (17:33–20:59)
- Teens fared relatively well at identifying synthetic images in paired comparisons, but real-world detection is much harder.
- AI is advancing so rapidly that neither teens nor adults can depend on visual inspection alone—reliable source tracing and verification are crucial.
- “Currently, like speaking today 2025, there are tools that can make AI video that is absolutely realistic and I would say impossible for a non expert to… tell the difference.” — Peter Adams [19:12]
- Credible news organizations verify and clearly credit visual materials.
9. Reasons for Hope & The Path Forward (20:59–23:06)
- Encouraging: 94% of teens in the survey want media literacy education.
- Ongoing balance: Hold news to high standards, but recognize and celebrate when journalism gets it right.
- “You also have to appreciate when news organizations get it right and appreciate the role that they play in public life and in civic discourse. So there has to be a balance. And I think that can be easy to forget." — Peter Adams [21:47]
- Risk: Decline in local journalism correlates with more polarization, corruption, and costs.
- “I think people really need to recognize that… Counties that have few or no local news organizations experience more political polarization, more corruption, even higher taxes and higher municipal costs.” — Peter Adams [22:38]
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
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On Teen Misperceptions:
- “Teens think that... unprofessional actions happen more often than the real, ethical actions that happen in newsrooms all the time.” — Peter Adams [02:20]
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On Critiquing Media:
- “Holding news organizations accountable to their ideals is important work, no doubt... but to remember that, you also have to appreciate when news organizations get it right.” — Peter Adams [21:45]
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On AI and Verification:
- “It’s not fair to ask people to be able to [identify fakes] just based on their senses… The technology’s gotten so good that you can’t literally tell the difference with the naked eye.” — Peter Adams [19:04]
Timestamps for Key Segments
- 01:24: Survey headline findings
- 03:04: Misperceptions' origins
- 04:58: Identifying credible news
- 06:27: Impact of misperceptions
- 07:37: Skepticism vs. cynicism
- 08:56: Surprising survey responses
- 10:01: Who is responsible for news literacy
- 14:31: What classroom news/media literacy should include
- 17:33: AI and synthetic media
- 20:59: AI’s impact on sorting real from fake
- 21:13: Reasons for hope
- 21:45: Key takeaway for listeners
Summary
This episode provides a nuanced, evidence-based snapshot of why teens misunderstand journalism, what factors shape their skepticism and cynicism, and what practical steps everyone—from the classroom to the newsroom—can take to help. The conversation is fast-paced, fact-driven, and offers clear resources and guidance for educators, parents, and teens themselves. The takeaway: News skepticism is healthy, but shouldn’t be cynicism; recognizing and championing quality journalism is as vital as calling out its failures; and news literacy—especially in an age of AI—must be a collective responsibility.