Board member Tracie Potts on overcoming polarization through news literacy education

Tracie Potts, veteran journalist, educator and now a News Literacy Project board member, can attest to the impact of news literacy education in helping young people thrive.

Potts is the Executive Director of the Eisenhower Institute at Gettysburg College and previously spent three decades as an award-winning broadcast journalist covering Washington, D.C. 

You may recognize her as the host of “InfoZones,” a lesson on the News Literacy Project’s digital learning platform Checkology^®. More than 100,000 students and educators worldwide have used the lesson to learn how to recognize credible news reporting and distinguish it from other types of information — a foundational news literacy skill. 

We asked Potts about the information habits of young people, how to overcome political divides, and what makes her excited — and worried — as AI reshapes education and the media. Here are her answers, lightly edited for length and clarity. 

Q: Young people consume news and other information much differently than previous generations. What do you find most encouraging about the way they engage with information? What are the biggest challenges they face?

A: I work with young people every day, and they are voracious consumers of news. They want to know what’s happening in the world around them in real time. 

Apps, reels, phone notifications, blogs, livestreams, podcasts, smart watches, chats — information is instant and interactive. Young people are eager to engage. They don’t just want to learn about problems. They want to contribute to the conversation and find solutions. As someone who spent 30 years informing the public, it’s exciting to see Gen Z bringing the (virtual) public square alive!

An informed public armed with critical thinking skills is essential for democracy. What concerns me is the difficulty many young people have sifting through all the information they’re getting. Research shows teens struggle to discern what’s credible and what’s not. Many haven’t been introduced to standards of quality journalism, so they lump all types of information together. What’s meant to sell, inform, persuade — to many young people, all content carries the same weight. 

Plus, they don’t trust the press, so they may get information from unreliable sources, or influencers who they may not realize are paid to push a certain agenda. Today’s youth have grown up in a world where it’s normal to seek and believe sources with a particular point of view. 

It’s important that we support them by showing them what quality journalism looks like so they can determine what’s news and what’s not.

Q: The Eisenhower Institute is dedicated to working across differences to solve tough problems. That feels particularly important — and hard! — in the polarized times we’re living in. How can news literacy help overcome divisions?

A: I find that while some on the fringes revel in the polarization that plagues our society, many people are simply tired of it. They want to reach across divides. Using news literacy skills to start conversations on a foundation of facts is a great way to begin building bridges.

Recent surveys show our students felt safer engaging in respectful disagreement at the Eisenhower Institute than anywhere on campus. I think it speaks to the power of an education in news literacy. 

Fact-based dialogue is a bedrock principle at the Institute. We intentionally create an environment where students are encouraged to seek news and information and have conversations with people outside their traditional bubbles. These are skills that any news literacy education program should include. I’ve also led news literacy workshops for older alumni. We talk about confirmation bias and how to identify misinformation, using NLP resources. I love bringing my experience from the newsroom into higher education.

Q: Artificial Intelligence is rapidly changing the education and media landscape. As classrooms and newsrooms evolve, what excites you? What worries you?

A: AI is a useful tool for journalists and the public when used properly. For example, it’s helping investigative journalists sift through mounds of information to identify trends and uncover stories that otherwise wouldn’t be told. 

For students, AI can offer thought-provoking questions to challenge and enhance their original ideas. We recently developed a policy encouraging students to use AI as a thought partner — like having a conversation with a friend about your approach to a project. Your friend isn’t writing your paper — just offering good pushes in different perspectives for you to consider.

The danger we see is people using AI-generated information without vetting it. What’s the source? Is it credible? Are there additional perspectives to consider? Did I ask the right question? Was my question worded in a way that influenced the AI response? News literacy skills help us navigate the world of artificial intelligence by creating a healthy skepticism to ensure we can trust the information we’re receiving.

But I also worry that if everything is questioned, nothing will be trusted. People worry that everything is AI-generated. This idea of “deep doubt” further threatens public trust in media, which is already at historic lows. Teaching news literacy is essential to restoring public confidence. People have to believe that facts do exist, and truth can be found.