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Should schools provide more than an education?
Many teachers find that their students can’t learn if they are hungry or cold. But that often means providing food and clothing out of their own pockets.
The political weaponry of disinformation
With corruption scandals rife in Spain, the spread of false rumors is eroding people’s trust in their government. Can anything be done to restore la confianza?
The stories that most resonated with our readers
Where could you find popes, snakes and soccer players all in one place? On the pages of News Decoder this past year. Explore our most-read stories of 2025.
Decoder Replay: Can Taiwan fend off China forever?
With the world’s attention on Ukraine, Venezuela and Gaza, China has been hovering around an island it wants back, badly.
The good and bad of roaming the world
Live out of suitcases for months at a time, and you learn what to leave behind. It’s not the physical stuff that matters but connections you make and keep.
What’s not part of university requirements? Eating.
College students must pay for housing, books and course fees. For many, that leaves little extra for meals. Some campuses are working to fill that need.
Some stories that bring good cheer
As we approach the coming year, let’s look back on the past year and see that it wasn’t all gloom and doom.
Decoder Replay: Can we prepare for unpredictable weather?
There’s no denying climate change when a tornado rips through your town or a blizzard buries you in snow. So why blame the people who raise weather alarms?
Think you’re a news whiz? Take our news quiz
You recall the big headlines in your news feed. But News Decoder took you to places that don’t get big spotlights. How well did you pay attention?
What happens when people lose access to birth control?
Contraception reduces mortality and can improve the lives of women. But the United States has pulled its global funding for maternal health programs.
You can write a great essay. But can you tell a great story?
Writing for a teacher or group of academics is one thing. Now imagine the audience is a group of your friends. Would you write it the same way?
To fight climate change, begin in the classroom
It is one thing for students to read what a teacher assigned. It’s another to discover information themselves and use it to inform others and take action.
Decoder Replay: What role do diplomats play?
Representatives for U.S President Donald Trump shuttle between Ukraine and Russia to try to end the war. But how much influence can diplomats wield?
Are you aware of your level of climate ignorance?
Ask people at random what countries emit the most greenhouse gases and you find we have long way to go in educating people about climate change.
You must use AI! Don’t use AI!
Navigating when and how to use AI in the work world depends on where you work. For many organizations it is a love-hate relationship.
Can we use AI intelligently?
Artificial intelligence apps are too useful to avoid. But can schools use them in ways that won’t harm creativity or turn students into robots?
Climate change brings new worries to an old industry
Grapes are notoriously sensitive to weather. That leaves grape growers struggling to adapt to the long-term effects of climate change.
The winners are …
E-cars, autism, climate change, racial discrimination, a religious cult. These were subjects students tackled in the 18th News Decoder Storytelling Competition.
A track meet that pushes girls to greatness
For 50 years, the Colgate Women’s Games have given women and girls of all ages the chance to show the world what they’ve got.
Let’s have no locks on learning
We need to fuel the curiosity young people have about the world around them. Let’s unlock the resources they need to be informed citizens of the world.
When will we listen to what young people say?
In our latest Decoder Dialogue we sat down with young people to hear their thoughts about speaking out. Why aren’t more people listening to what they say?
The borderless world of music
Sergiy Salo has spent his life performing in concert halls. But the audiences he prefers are the people who sit on public benches in the streets of Seoul.
Let’s stop talking about problems as if they can’t be solved
Despair sets in when we think a problem is too overwhelming to solve. But difficult isn’t the same as impossible.
Dishing out healthy food options kids will eat
Can schools entice young people to choose foods that are better for their health and the health of the planet?
When the clock ticks
To succeed in journalism, and most other careers, you need to be able to meet deadlines. How hard can that be?
A partnership across the Atlantic to inform the world
At the University of Toronto, people with specialized information become journalists and work with News Decoder to inform teens hungry for good inforamation.
With News Decoder, students explore their role in the world
Through storytelling, we challenge students to discover their connections to the world around them and to each other, whether across town or countries.
Can we close the “knowledge gap”?
Young people struggle to make sense of world events. That's where our correspondents come in. Experienced journalists and teens learning from each other. A collage of News...
When young people ask big questions and seek answers
With News Decoder, young people not only question what is going on around them, they discover they’ve got peers across the globe asking similar questions.
Can you believe it?
We live in an age of misinformation. Here are ways you can make sure you aren’t part of the problem.
It is up to all of us to stand up to bullies
Bullies gain their power when people fear them. But sometimes our own inner strength is more powerful.
Decoder Replay: Disinformation and the decline of democracy
Deepfakes and AI fuel disinformation that puts democracy at risk. How can we combat it?
How one young woman broke free of a media addiction
When the screen becomes your escape from depression, can you find a way to face the reality around you?
Decoder: The high costs of cheap food
In many places people are shocked by the high costs of food. But cheaper options come with other costs to children’s health and the greater environment.
Which way do you lean?
Many ethical journalists try to eliminate bias from their stories. But how possible is that and can you end up deceiving yourself and your readers?
When life is bitter, don’t lose hope
Staying strong during hard times is the key to success. Set yourself some personal goals and don’t be afraid to accept help from kind people.
Empowering youth through environmental storytelling
It will take the whole world to solve our climate crisis. Now educators have a roadmap for teaching young people about climate change and how to stop it.
Are you storing toxic waste in your home or car?
When fires swept through Southern California, they left a trail of toxic waste in Los Angeles from such mundane possessions as vacuums, power tools and e-cars.
A warm rapport with the “world’s coolest dictator”
The people of El Salvador, and Donald Trump, love Nayib Bukele’s iron boot approach to fighting crime. But how long can a state of emergency last?
Cook up a news story
Many think writing a story isn’t worth the effort when you have AI to do it. But there is satisfaction that only comes by doing it from scratch.
Should research be free for all?
To conduct new research, scholars need access to past studies. But often that costs money that many can’t afford. India is trying to fix that problem.
Decoder Replay: Why so much confusion over climate change?
For 30 years world leaders have gathered to find ways to cool our planet. So why is this existential problem still so misunderstood?
A competition begs this question: Why be judged?
Over 10 years, News Decoder has told students that their voices are worthy of being heard. Our contests tell them this: Don’t fear the judgement of others.
Decoder: Can the world’s largest democracy accept all faiths?
Nothing is more divisive in India than religion, even though its constitution gives all citizens the right to choose and practice their faith.
When a company’s enviro claims sound convincing …
Greenwashing is when corporations use eco-sustainability as a marketing tool. But can you tell if they’re for real? Here are some ways you can check them out.
Decoder: Does ‘less is more’ apply to tech companies?
How vulnerable are we as a society when our internet-delivery eggs are largely placed in one virtual global basket?
Decoder Replay: Can journalists coexist with AI?
Can AI help journalists and not kill their jobs? Put that question to an AI app and you get some reassurance. But can we trust that?
Can you get better medical advice online than from a doctor?
When it takes too long to get an appointment or a doctor dismisses patient symptoms, people go online for help. Is that a bad thing?
The power of one voice
When a Russian pop star told the world, and Putin, that the Ukraine war must end, she had to go into exile. But her message was already out.
A week of media literacy across the globe
Do some social media posts make you cry? Can you tell a reliable source from one you shouldn’t trust? Can AI help bring us together across divides?