Why do 70% of Americans Think We’re Going in the Wrong Direction?

What to Expect at the Forum

Trust in both higher education and the news media has collapsed at the same time, partly from outside attacks and partly from their own ideological drift, and this forum asks whether these two institutions, which share civic roles like informing the public and holding power accountable, may be making each other's crises worse. Bringing together two experts with competing explanations, Rhode Island College and Ocean State Media host the conversation not as neutral parties but as institutions that know firsthand what it means to be swept into a national narrative of distrust while serving their local communities well.

Our Moderator

Ted Nesi

Ted Nesi is politics and business editor and a Target 12 investigative reporter at WPRI 12, which he joined in 2010. He co-hosts the Sunday program Newsmakers and writes the weekly Nesi's Notes column. He has won a New England Emmy Award for investigative reporting and shared several Edward R. Murrow Awards, and has moderated 63 gubernatorial and other political debates since joining WPRI. He also contributes to Rhode Island PBS Weekly, previously reported and edited at Providence Business News, began his career at The Sun Chronicle in Attleboro, and teaches journalism at his alma mater, Wheaton College.

Our Discussants

Dr. Jack R. Warner, for Higher Education Institutions

The 11th President of Rhode Island College, named by unanimous vote of the Rhode Island Council on Postsecondary Education after serving as interim president beginning in 2022. He previously served as Executive Director and CEO of the South Dakota Board of Regents (2009–2015) and spent seven years as Commissioner of the Rhode Island Board of Governors for Higher Education. Before RIC, he was an Associate Professor of Higher Education in Johnson & Wales University's Educational Leadership Doctoral Program and a Senior Advisor at Education Strategy Group.

Pam Johnston, for Media Organizations

President and CEO of Ocean State Media, Rhode Island's home for PBS and NPR. Since August 2024 she has led the unification of Rhode Island PBS and The Public's Radio into a single statewide public media organization. She was previously General Manager of Local News at GBH in Boston, where she rebuilt a legacy newsroom into a digital-first operation, and held senior leadership roles at PBS's investigative series FRONTLINE. She is the recipient of the Rhode Island Foundation's 2026 Trailblazer Award.