"In 2025, trust in journalism reached a record low. According to Gallup, only 8% of Republicans expressed trust in the news media, compared with 51% of Democrats." This is the first sentence of an article, written by a team at Duke, about new research. They say one of the key drivers of distrust may be how much time they spend "bashing" other news outlets. The team reviewed 15 years of cable news transcripts from Fox News, CNN and MSNBC, and used AI to analyze close to 19 million words looking for examples of negative statements. (Think MSNBC's Rachel Maddow saying, "I can't believe this is in this real newspaper," about The Washington Post's editorial page or Fox News' Mark Levin telling viewers that "MSNBC and CNN…have been lying and lying and lying to you for years.") The team says Fox News exhibits this behavior far more than the other networks.

Guests: Philip Napoli, Distinguished Professor of Public Policy and Director of the DeWitt Wallace Center for Media and Democracy and Adam Meskouri, Duke Master of Public Policy student, researcher for Duke and Harvard.

Each September, the U.S. Census Bureau releases new data revealing how many people in the country are living in poverty. But what does that number really tell us, and how should it shape the choices we make as a nation? Lisa Gennetian, the Pritzker Professor of Early Learning Policy Studies at Duke University's Sanford School of Public Policy, follows the data closely each year. She joins host Anna Gassman-Pines to explore how poverty is measured, what the latest figures reveal about American life, and how evidence can inform better public policy.

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Public policy shapes how societies work. As climate change, AI, and other challenges transform the world, policymakers and other leaders must understand complex issues and develop innovative solutions. JR DeShazo, dean of Duke's Sanford School of Public Policy, joins host Anna Gassman-Pines to discuss climate policy, policy innovation, and how public policy schools can better prepare the next generation of leaders. Among other roles, DeShazo previously led a UCLA center focused on innovation and sustainability.

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