Noise vs News

How to recognize trustworthy information online and off.

The March 2026 party primary elections and November 2026 general election are close at hand. We will once again be inundated with advertisements, articles, and social media posts supporting and in opposing to issues and candidates. Voters need reliable information to make decisions. We all want to be informed and educated voters, but can we trust everything that comes to our eyes and ears? So much depends on knowing what to look for and what to avoid.

A diverse group of Braver Angels Central Texas members have been hard at work designing a monthly series of presentations to help us wade through the noise in hopes of finding the worthy news. Here is what is in store:

Deepfake Technology with Dr. Dale Blasingame; November 18, 2025
News aggregation with Sam Laber; February 4, 2026
Bias in the News with Joanne Richards; March 30, 2026
Social media: The Good, The Bad, & the Ugly with Josh Kline May 6, 2026
History of freedom of the press with Dorsey Cartwright; June date TBD

Come join us!

November 18, 2025
"TRUTH IN THE AGE OF AI: How AI systems generate realistic content and ways individuals can assess authenticity online."
presented by Dale Blasingame, an associate professor of practice in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Texas State University in San Marcos, Texas. Blassingame concludes that it is very difficult to judge "fakes" and it is only getting harder. The way to combat the problem is to become media literate. Blassingame says media literacy skills training should start with young children.

MEDIA LITERACY RESOURCES

NEWS AGGREGATORS

Evolution of News Aggregators
News Aggregators summary
How Tangle is rebuilding trust in political news through transparent multi-perspective reporting

February 4, 2026
"THE EVOLUTION OF NEWS AGGREGATORS" presented by Sam Laber, founder of Pano News
"In a world where news never stops, staying informed has become both easier and more overwhelming. Every day, hundreds of stories break across countless outlets, social media platforms, and blogs—and each one frames events differently. For the average reader, the sheer volume isn't just paralyzing; it makes understanding bias and separating signal from noise nearly impossible. That's where news aggregators come in.
By pulling sources from across the political spectrum into one place, they help you see the full picture: what's being covered, what's being ignored, and how narratives diverge depending on the source.
In this talk, Laber traces how news aggregators evolved to meet this challenge, explains what separates the best from the rest, and shares strategies for building a news routine that keeps you informed without overwhelming you."

Tackling Bias presented by Joanne Richards, Co-chair of Braver Angels Central Texas
Monday, March 30th from 7:30 to 8:45 on Zoom.
In "Tackling Bias," we examine the perspectives and preconceptions each of us brings to the way we evaluate news. Our individual backgrounds and life experiences can subtly or overtly shape how we interpret and analyze information from various sources.
We also assess the perceived biases of a wide range of news organizations, including who provides these evaluations and the potential influences behind them.
The program explores how news sources use headlines, story wording, and imagery to influence our judgments.
Finally, the participants discussed their thoughts and experiences on how they “tackle bias” in their own news consumption.

May 6, 2026
"SOCIAL MEDIA: THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY" presented by Josh KlineSocial Media has become a dominant force in our nation's culture. For this session we will focus on Social Media primarily through the largest and most classic example, Facebook.
What are the good things about Facebook? How has it better connected us and made communication cheaper and more democratic. How has social media made our tribal politics worse. Is Facebook really free, or are we the product? What are some of the ugliest aspects of Facebook and its algorithm.
We will then shift to how we might use Facebook and all social media much better. How can we make these tools work for us and be a part of the solution?
VIDEO PRESENTATION COMING SOON

September 16, 2026
"THE EASY WAY OR THE HARD WAY: Navigating the Semi-Free Press of a Mixed Economy
presented by Dr. Gregory Salmieri. Dr. Salmieri holds a PhD in Philosophy from the University of Pittsburg and teaches at the University of Texas. He is a senior scholar at the Civitas Institute and teaches philosophy at the University of Texas, Austin. He is the co-editor of A Companion to Ayn Rand (2016), Foundations of a Free Society (UPP 2019) and Two Philosophers: Aristotle and Ayn Rand (2025). His research concerns issues at the intersection of ethics, epistemology, and political philosophy, and he is currently working on a monograph on free speech.

When FCC Chairman Brendan Carr warned media companies that “we can do this the easy way or the hard way,” he made explicit a longstanding threat to freedom of the press: the discretionary power that elected officials and their appointees have over broadcast licenses, mergers, and other aspects of journalism as a business gives them tremendous leverage over journalism.
Gregory Salmieri will discuss the nature of this leverage, how it relates to freedom of speech and of the press, how we as consumers of news should understand and navigate a media environment subject to this pressure, and how we as citizens should regard the politicians who exercise it.