by Marcy Burstiner | 27 Jun 2025 | Journalism, Media Literacy, News Decoder Tips
We live in an age of disinformation. But most journalists try hard to report the truth without being sneaky or causing harm in the process. They follow a code. A reporter is handed a classified file in a parking garage. (Illustration by News Decoder) In News...
by Marcy Burstiner | 20 Jun 2025 | Journalism, Media Literacy, News Decoder Tips
Everyone makes mistakes. To be credible you have to fess up when you get things wrong. Doing so doesn’t make you look bad. It shows you care about the truth. Two photos of birds. The left one is a curlew sandpiper and is covered by a big red X. The other is a...
by Marcy Burstiner | 13 Jun 2025 | History, Journalism, News Decoder Tips
Things don’t happen in a vacuum. If we understand how we got here, we might see ways out of the mess we’re in. A little history adds a whole lot of context. A historian examines old documents. (Illustration by News Decoder) In News Decoder’s Top...
by Marcy Burstiner | 30 May 2025 | Education, Journalism, News Decoder Tips, Politics
When you ask questions about problems people have long accepted you come across as naive. Own that. Three teens wear badges that say “naive”. (Illustration by News Decoder) In News Decoder’s Top Tips, we share advice for young people from experts in...
by News Decoder | 23 May 2025 | Environment, EYES, News Decoder Tips, Podcasts
Good podcasters make podcasting seem easy. But creating one that sounds natural and makes people want to listen takes planning. Here’s a quick guide. Listen to the “Eyes on Climate” podcast. This article was adapted from the fifth episode of...
by Jeremy Solomons | 4 Apr 2025 | Journalism, Media Literacy, News Decoder Tips
We all make mistakes but as journalists, we must do everything we can to make sure we report the facts and find the truth. A notepad has three checks on it under the word Information. (Illustration by News Decoder) In News Decoder’s Top Tips, we share advice for...
by Madison Dapcevich | 7 Mar 2025 | Journalism, Media Literacy, News Decoder Tips
It is hard to tell if information has been aggregated when you find it on the internet. Getting a story right means tracking down the original source. People play a game of “telephone.” (Illustration by News Decoder) In News Decoder’s Top Tips, we...
by Marcy Burstiner | 28 Feb 2025 | Journalism, News Decoder Tips
The more complicated an issue is, the more you need to humanize it and make it comprehensible. That’s where the anecdote comes in. A guy tells a story about a porcupine to a friend. (Illustration by News Decoder) In News Decoder’s Top Tips, we share advice...
by Marcy Burstiner | 21 Feb 2025 | Journalism, News Decoder Tips
An audience will connect to a news story that is about something that concerns them even if they stumble on it long after it is published. A person holds a newspaper with a pine tree branch inside, symbolising “evergreen” content. (Illustration by News...
by Marcy Burstiner | 7 Feb 2025 | Journalism, News Decoder Tips
News reporters are needed more now than ever before. If you’ve got a lot of curiosity and a little determination you have what it takes. Young woman talks on a phone. (Credit: Eliza Alves) In News Decoder’s Top Tips, we share advice for young people from...