To get good stories you need to start with simple questions. The answers will be complicated. Reporters at a press conference raise their hands to ask a question. (Credit: Comstock) What’s your question? Journalists ask questions. Lots and lots and lots of questions....
In this piece, News Decoder editors help students develop a line of inquiry and questioning that can lead to solutions journalism. To get good stories, students should start with simple questions with big answers.
Exercise: After students read the article, have them brainstorm simple questions about the world around them that may lead to a great story. Perhaps students are curious about the options on their school lunch menu, or about why football is called “soccer” in some countries. Students should then consider who they may ask/interview to answer their question. This activity may be paired with a classroom writing assignment. If students produce a finished story, they are eligible to pitch the article to our team, with the possibility of publication on our site.
To be globally aware, we depend on journalists around the world who risk their freedom and very lives to keep us informed. A mural depicting slain Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh is drawn on part of Israel’s controversial separation barrier, in...
For Parisa Haidari, staying alive after the Taliban came to power meant leaving journalism. But that wasn’t enough. Parisa Haidari made her way more than 3,100 miles from Afghanistan to Italy. This article, by high school student Keya Dutt, was produced out of...
For 20 years Afghan journalists could report without fear or favor. With the Taliban in control they are out of favor and under intense fear. Many have fled. Afghan journalists attend a press conference of a former president Hamid Karzai in Kabul, Afghanistan, 13...
Guest writer Rafiullah Nikzad shares his experience as a journalist forced to flee Afghanistan after the Taliban retook control in 2021. This article underscores the importance of a free press, in line with News Decoder’s mission to amplify voices that are under-reported and under-heard.
Exercise: Read the article together as a class, then launch a discussion on the importance of a free press. What does independent journalism bring to a country? Why might some governments seek to censor what is published? What are the social, political, economic and legal frameworks that underpin a free press? Have students investigate the level of press freedom in your country, using the Press Freedom Index from Reporters Without Borders. You may consider having students conduct a comparative analysis of several country case studies.
Dogs abused, refugees who struggle, unequal abortion access, menstrual products too costly and unsafe medical implants. These stories topped the competition. Two stories tied for first prize in News Decoder’s 13th Storytelling Contest. A story by Emily Yang of...
News Decoder and Global Youth & News Media challenged teens to find and profile people working on systems-level solutions to climate change. They stepped up. Photo illustration by News Decoder. A profile of geologist Florin Stoican — who established the Romania’s...
We ask young people what they want to be in life. But do we allow them to become the best person they can be? This can’t be done in a single class lesson. Illustration by News Decoder What kind of learning do we seek? That’s what Veronica Boix Mansilla asked an...
Both sides of the Irish border mark a quarter century since the Good Friday Agreement. But can a divide that lasted generations be permanently bridged? Royal Ulster Constabulary Police officers stand on Market Street, the scene of a car bombing in the centre of Omagh,...
Journalists are in danger in many parts of the world. Young people must be taught why we should protect and support the news media. Illustration by News Decoder The deadline for nominations for the 2023 Press Freedom Teaching Award has been extended. The new deadline...
Journalists who shine the light on the world’s trouble spots often keep their own troubles to themselves. And that’s a problem. A camera catches the pepper spraying by police of a journalist covering protests in Hong Kong in 2014. Credit: Mongkok under a...
