Tania Bagan is starting an internship at News-Decoder as we open a new chapter in our development. What do you think she should write about?
For the third consecutive summer, a student intern is gaining experience at News-Decoder and helping the Paris-based educational news service raise its game.
Tania Bagan, a 20-year-old student at Haverford College in the United States, will be writing and editing for News-Decoder over the next six weeks, just as the not-for-profit enters a crucial, new phase in its development.
News-Decoder’s two-year pilot program with academic institutions is ending this summer. Starting in September, it will be offering a menu of services to schools and universities that are joining News-Decoder’s global community, including several that participated in the pilot program.
The services include opportunities to publish on News-Decoder’s website, to participate in webinars on major global issues, to take courses in writing and interviewing, and to exchange ideas and perspectives inside a discussion forum.
While Bagan is going to university in the United States, she is no stranger to Europe. She spent most of her youth in Venice, Italy, and speaks Italian, English and French. She is focusing on comparative literature at university and won a summer internship grant from Haverford to come to France.
What stories do you think Bagan should write?
During her internship, Bagan plans to tackle a series of issues that have dominated global headlines but which are not well understood by many young people. One example: moves by Saudi Arabia and its Gulf allies against Qatar. In a “decoder” article, Bagan will explain the historical background to the dispute and why it has flared up recently.
News-Decoder’s previous interns, Pauline Bock and Emma Bapt, contributed to our series of “decoders” that form building blocks for understanding complex global issues. A decoder that Bock wrote in 2015 on Syria continues to attract readers. Other decoders have examined topics ranging from human rights to Kashmir.
The decoders are part of News-Decoder’s efforts to help young people around the world come to grips with complex and controversial international problems so they will be well prepared when, soon enough, they assume leadership roles in business, politics, government, academia and civil society.
Bagan has a tentative list of stories she will work on. But we would be interested in your views. What do you think needs explaining and examination on News-Decoder’s website?
Send us your thoughts!