As generative AI and social media algorithms accelerate the spread of misinformation and polarized narratives, educators face growing pressure to help students think critically about where news comes from — and who's building the tools that shape it. In this MediaEd Club session, we sit down with the team behind the Improve the News Foundation (ITN), the MIT-rooted nonprofit behind Verity.news, an AI-powered news aggregator, and Orwell.org, its satirical counterpart. We'll explore the pedagogical thinking behind these platforms, how they approach the challenge of balancing AI automation with human editorial judgment, and what responsible use might look like in 6–12 and higher education settings. Importantly, we'll also discuss the background and history of ITN, and broader questions educators should ask before recommending a platform to students. Come ready to think — not just about news and bias, but about the tools and organizations being built to navigate our news landscape today.
Date: Monday, April 6, 2026
Time: 12 pm EST | 6 pm CET | 10:30 pm ISTÂ
LOCATION: Register here for the webinar series.
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Recommended Media (please preview before attending)
- Video Short: Max Tegmark on Verity.news (47 sec)
- ITN website: verity.news
- Article: Use Verity to help teach media literacy skills (Todd R. Vogts, Journalism Education Association, September 2023)
- WikiPedia: Max Tegmark
Optional Media (enrich your learning)
- Journal Article: Machine-learning media bias (PLOS One, August 2022). The foundational research by Max Tegmark and Samantha D’Alonzo explaining the "why" and "how" of their AI mapping.
- ITN website: Orwell.org: Identifying Propaganda Techniques
- Substack: Verity Ed: Classroom Resources & Pilot Program
- Academic Paper: Navigating Context Collapse in Civics Education (Democracy and Education, 2022)
- Verity Podcast: Fact & Spin
- Podcast: Max Tegmark: The Case for AI Safety and Truth (Lex Fridman Podcast, 2023, also on YouTube)
Host: Dr. Wesley FryerÂ
Wesley Fryer, PhD, is a middle school STEM and media literacy middle school teacher at Providence Day School in Charlotte, North Carolina. As an educational technology “early adopter / innovator” since the late 1990s, Wes continues to share regularly on social media. Learn more on wesfryer.com.
Please get in touch with us if you want to suggest future Media Club meeting topics to discuss an article, book, podcast, video or any media related to our interests.
Dr. Wes Fryer, Webinar Series Manager |Â wes.fryer@providenceday.org Â
* AI Image (for this webinar) generated by Wes Fryer using Gemini's Nano Banana Pro.