by Tira Shubart | 6 Jun 2024 | Educators' Catalog, France, History, Journalism, News Photography, United States
With the 156,000 allied troops who came ashore at Normandy on D-Day were 500 news reporters armed only with pens, paper, cameras and recording equipment. While hundreds of others move towards the beach in landing craft, American assault troops, with full equipment,...
Accompanying the 156,000 allied troops who came ashore at Normandy on D-Day were 500 news reporters armed only with pens, paper and recording equipment. Correspondent Tira Shubart looks at what it was like to be a war reporter in 1944.
Exercise: Read the article and discuss the dangers journalists faced in the Second World War, the reasons why they chose to report and the difficulties they might have had in reporting. Imagine you are a WWII reporter. Write a journal entry describing a snapshot of what you experienced on a given day. For inspiration, search for photos or articles by Robert Capa, Martha Gellhorn or Lee Miller and use them as a starting point. Think about what happened before and after the article or photo. Keep in mind how the events you experienced had wider, cross-border importance and how your chosen event impacted the world.
by Daniel Warner | 24 May 2024 | Decoders, Human Rights, Israel-Palestine, Middle East, Politics, Russia, United States
The rule of law applies when enemies commit crimes. For national allies, the same crime isn’t necessarily a crime. Vladimir Putin and Benjamin Netanyahu against a backdrop of a court. (Illustration by News Decoder) Is there a rule of law for the United States...
by Martin Langfield | 25 Apr 2024 | Decoders, Human Rights, Politics, United States
Millions of migrants cross the U.S.-Mexican border. North of the border, some fear them. But the economy depends on migrants and it is they who face real dangers. A man carries a child as they are taken into custody by officials at the Texas-Mexico border in Eagle...
by News Decoder | 24 Apr 2024 | Decoder Replay, Economy, Government, United States
An announcement from the Federal Reserve of the United States can send investors around the world into a frenzy. We went to our experts to find out why. The gold vault of the Federal Reserve Bank of the United States. (Photo courtesy the Federal Reserve Bank)...
by Marcy Burstiner | 9 Apr 2024 | Journalism, Politics, United States
If the 2020 election in the United States was any indication, there will be a lot of angry people in this go-around regardless of the result. An imagined polling station next to a gun shop. (Illustration by News Decoder) This article was produced exclusively for News...
by Liam Gwynn | 29 Mar 2024 | Educators' Catalog, Environment, United States
Taking down massive dams is one thing. Now can we restore the land to what it was a century ago? The Copco 1 Dam reservoir in Hornbook, California 17 September 2023, before the dam was breached in January 2024 and the water drained. (AP Photo/Haven Daley) This article...
Well, I’ll be dammed! Correspondent Liam Gwynn dives into rivers, dams and the devastating environmental impacts of dams on river ecology.
Exercise: In groups, choose one of these five nature restoration projects. Read the summary of the project, follow the link to further reading and watch the accompanying video. Take notes, discuss and think about the environmental and social issues surrounding these projects. Who is involved in the rewilding projects? Who will benefit from them? What will nature restoration achieve? Next, imagine you are running the project and need funding. Present your project to the class in the form of a 3-minute project proposal pitch. Once every project has been presented, the class votes on which project they would fund.
by Joshua Glazer | 11 Mar 2024 | Culture, History, Judaism, Religion, School Year Abroad, Student Posts, United States, Youth Voices
Like their parents before them, thousands of U.S. teens head to camp this summer. But for many, this R&R combines relaxation with religion. Two generations of kids at Jewish summer camp. Joshua Glazer, shown right, and his mother, when she was about the same age....
by Lance Roller II | 5 Mar 2024 | History, United States, University of Toronto Journalism Fellows
Thousands of Black Marines fought in World War II. But they had to fight for the right to do so. Now their nation wants to honor them, if they can be found. Montford Point Marines attend a Congressional Gold Medal Commemorative Ceremony at Marine Barracks Washington...
by John West | 22 Feb 2024 | China, Decoders, History, Nationalism, Politics, Russia, United States
For decades nations of the world abided by some basic international rules. What happens when this international order breaks down? Someone erases three rules for the world on a chalkboard. (Photo illustration by News Decoder) This article was produced exclusively for...
by Daniel Warner | 1 Dec 2023 | Educators' Catalog, History, Politics, United States
Henry Kissinger died on the 29th of November. Our correspondent remembers the one time he had the opportunity to question him directly about his lauded career. U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger being congratulated 16 October 1973 by U.S. President Richard Nixon...
Henry Kissinger’s death made headlines at the end of November 2023. This famous diplomat sparks controversy. How should he be remembered? Correspondent Daniel Warner reflects on his brief interaction with Kissinger in Geneva back in 1999.
Exercise: Read the article with your class, then review headlines announcing Kissinger’s death from various media sources. How does the wording of these headlines differ? How does that difference change the way a reader may perceive Kissinger’s legacy? Use this activity as a conversation starter to discuss the power of word choice in media bias and framing.
