Welcome to News Decoder Clubs
News Decoder is a global news service and media learning platform connecting thousands of students from 22 secondary schools and universities in 18 countries on five continents.
At News Decoder we publish articles, photo essays, podcasts and videos by students that run side by side global news stories by our network of professional correspondents.
As a News Decoder Club, you now have the opportunity to share your stories with our global audience.
What is a News Decoder Club?
Clubs explore how global problems play out in their local regions. What problems do you see where you live? Do you think people in other parts of the world experience the same problems?
With Club resources, you can learn to examine important topics like environmental pollution or human trafficking, interview experts and create and get your articles, podcasts, videos or photo stories published globally on News Decoder.
Clubs are student-driven. You are in control of your agenda and what projects you choose to take on. Though you should have a faculty mentor, you will decide what topics to explore and stories and projects to tackle.
You might work as part of a team, with your Club producing a story through different media forms, or with Club members writing or podcasting different takes on the same topic.
News Decoder is here to help you and guide you.
Do important work and demonstrate initiative.
When you pitch us stories, whether as individual members of the Club or on team projects, we will work with you directly with the goal of getting your work published.
Every Club member has the opportunity to work with News Decoder editors directly. You can pitch stories to us and we will give you direct feedback and work with you as you research and report the story.
We will also send you a monthly newsletter with suggestions for club activities and projects.
Let’s get started!
The first step is to download the Club Starter Pack.
Then your Club will choose a Student Ambassador who can serve as a bridge to the student communities at News Decoder’s partner schools. Your Student Ambassador should be someone who is a natural leader, is organized, proactive and intellectually curious. They are inclusive and open to engaging with a wide number of students at their school and News Decoder’s other partner schools.
The Student Ambassador will be the main contact for News Decoder and so should be someone who checks and responds to emails. News Decoder relies on Student Ambassadors to promote News Decoder projects at the school. They encourage other students to participate in our storytelling contests, share opportunities to get published and help promote stories and activities by Club members on social media.
To stay in the loop about timely updates, all Club members should follow News Decoder on social media.
We’ve put together all the resources you need to launch your News Decoder Club in a single Google Drive.
The Club Starter Pack includes:
- Club Companion: Your guide to accessing News Decoder journalism resources on our members-only platform
- Orientation Video: A brief tour of what you can find on News Decoder, and where, and the opportunities available to you as a Club Member
- Webinar Toolkit: Step-by-step training on how to brainstorm, research, promote and present an interactive webinar for a global audience
- Promotions Library: Find posters, social media post templates and logos to help you spread the word about News Decoder storytelling contests, expert discussions and club activities
ND Club Resources
Learn our four-step content creation process — Pitch, Report, Draft, Revise — to produce publishable multimedia stories.
Work with professional editors with decades of newsroom experience.
Take a 20-minute course on Reporting, Drafting, Podcasting or Media Literacy.
You’ll receive a personalized certificate of completion when you’re done.
Submit your best work in our twice-yearly storytelling contest to be eligible to win a cash prize.
Stories can be in any medium or style. Check out past winners.