A public conversation about news, attention, and civic disengagement
As the United States approaches its 250th anniversary, a growing number of people — especially young people — are tuning out of the news. Not because they don't care, but because following public life feels overwhelming, exhausting, and adversarial.
This talk examines how modern information systems reward speed, confidence, and performance over understanding and deliberation — and what healthier civic information environments could look like going forward.
What audiences will leave with
Why news avoidance is a design problem, not a moral failure
How social platforms and AI systems shape attention and belief
Historical context for how democracies have managed mass opinion
A forward-looking framework for healthier civic participation
Format & details
60-minute interactive talk
In-person or virtual
Live audience polling
Optional Q&A session
Optional classroom or workshop add-on
Suitable for America at 250, Constitution Day, and civic programming
Jack Brewster
Founder and CEO
Jack Brewster is an award-winning journalist, former Fulbright scholar, and founder of Newsreel, a media startup focused on rebuilding how the next generation engages with news. His reporting and research on misinformation, platform algorithms, and the attention economy have been cited by The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Time Magazine, Vice, Fortune, CNN, and Bloomberg
Book a talk
Why the news feels overwhelming — and what the next 250 years of democratic life will require from our information systems.
or email jack@newsreel.co