To convince readers, you need to base your articles on facts you get from researching the story. But to trust the information you find, you’ll need a system for verification. A content publisher is about to push the “publish” button on a post....
It is tiresome hearing ignorant people spout off. But if you base your opinions on facts and knowledge, people will hear what you have to say. A teen works through her ideas for an opinion article while in the background are teens with ideas of their own....
Anyone can snap a photo. But taking one that captures the heart of a story? That takes more effort and care. Here’s some advice to get you started. A photojournalists takes a shot. Photo courtesy of Mobile Stories. In News Decoder’s Top Tips, we share...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...