Iran’s nuclear programme has held much of the world in suspense for years. But what if the real story, largely overlooked by the media, is elsewhere? Shiite rebels, known as Houthis, hold a poster of a Hezbollah leader during a rally in Sanaa, Yemen, 3 March...
Are the Houthis in Yemen “Iran-backed” or “Iran-aligned”? Are Hezbollah members “terrorists” or “liberators”? Labels can make a big difference. Hezbollah supporters wear headbands with pictures of Iran’s Ayatollah...
Two global prizes supported by News Decoder recognize projects in the UK and U.S. that fight fake news and gun violence. (Photo courtesy of The Student View) A UK not-for-profit promoting media literacy and a U.S. team reporting on gun violence have won global prizes,...
Filipino journalists Fermando Sepe Jr. and Maria Ressa have exposed government corruption and abuse — and persist despite threats to their safety. Human rights activists demonstrate in front of an office where Rappler CEO Maria Ressa was detained, Manila, 14...
We all have our convictions. But the world’s a complex place, where opposing viewpoints co-exist. Humility can be the first step to understanding. Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, seen in London on 11 July 1961, was the first man to orbit the Earth, not U.S....
A standoff in Washington involving high school students, a Native American and Hebrew Israelites offers many lessons — not all of them gloomy. Student Nick Sandmann (L) and Native American Nathan Phillips on the U.S. National Mall (photo taken from YouTube) An...
Threatened by populists and “fake news,” democracy is in crisis. But it remains better than alternatives — and a holy grail for states ditching dictators. Britain’s Big Ben clock tower, a symbol of parliamentary democracy, with a nearby statue...
Journalists practice a dangerous craft and now are accused of peddling fake news. With the world facing annihilation, is it worth plying that trade? Photographer Shah Marai, among several Afghan journalists killed in a suicide bombing, is buried in Afghanistan, 30...
We gossip today as people gossiped centuries ago. But the volume and speed of information overwhelm us — the downside of the digital revolution. “Flemish Proverbs,” by Pieter Brueghel the Younger (Wikimedia Commons) The year is 1789. You and I pace under a large...
Facebook and Twitter were caught napping when Russian agents tried to sway the U.S. 2016 elections. Now, they are declaring war on disinformation. An empty chair reserved for Google’s parent Alphabet, which refused to send its top executive, is seen as Facebook COO...