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Why must young people earn your respect?
We often hear how respect goes both ways. But talk to any teen and they’ll tell you that rule only seems to apply when you reach a certain age.
Is a girl’s virginity a communal possession?
Many cultures and religions around the world maintain traditions that cause physical harm. Why are so many practiced on young girls?
Decoder Replay: Forests to help the planet breathe
Redwood forests have survived only in the Pacific Northwest. But these carbon suckers will grow almost anywhere with a little land and a lot of love.
When you must fight for the right to imagine your own future
When war broke out in Sudan, schools and universities across the country shut down causing an educational crisis affecting some 19 million children.
You were so certain of that idea… until you weren’t
We absorb ideas the way we absorb language, not through argument but through immersion, until the position becomes indistinguishable from thought itself.
The only president I have ever known
Candidates make a lot of political promises. Why can’t they keep the vow to leave office when their term is up?
You are passionate about something. How is that a waste of time?
Parents love it when a kid reads books. Playing video games, not so much. What if the latter could be a career? Would the approval flip?
Decoder Replay: If a woman designed this place…
Women use cities differently than men but their needs have largely been ignored in urban planning. That’s starting to change.
Decoder: What has the United States gotten the world into now?
With the joint bombing of Iran with Israel, the United States may have begun a war without an endgame. Let’s help you make sense of the chaos.
Being alone is not the same as lonely
Society places value on being social. When we choose to bow out, people wonder what’s wrong. But sometimes healthy “me time” means: Just me.
Is judging people on “intelligence” the smart thing to do?
Society often puts people into one of two categories: Intelligent and worthy of attention, or stupid and ignored. But who sets the standards we must live up to?
At what age do you earn the right to speak up?
Children are often told: pipe down, keep quiet, sshhh! But maybe they have things to say that are worth hearing? At what age do you earn the right to speak up?
Can we help plants thrive even as we consume them?
On World Wildlife Day, the United Nations asks us to consider all the things we eat to keep us healthy and think: What if they all disappear?
What happens when we grow cold to suffering?
We are faced with a world full of disaster and suffering but feel powerless. The result? We stop caring.
Do we measure achievement only by our wins?
There seems little point in trying when our chances are small that we will score big. But only when we accept disappointment can we realize our potential.
Decoder Replay: We can’t stop scrolling. Whose fault is it?
Some think Big Tech is to blame for our inability to get off the social media that has left so many of us depressed. Why is it so hard to turn off the phone?
How I unlearned the anger I grew up with
Shouting and screaming in anger pushes people away. When we take responsibility for our emotions, we can reach understanding and deepen our relationships.
When it isn’t what the doctor ordered
With access to healthcare limited and expensive, many in Côte d’Ivoire and elsewhere turn to counterfeit drugs.
Is equality unreasonable?
February 20 is World Day of Social Justice. Around the globe, the majority of people accept that some have less while others have more. How does that play out?
When education stopped making sense
Young people across the globe are taking to the streets. In Morocco one demand is clear: Give us an education that helps us navigate the world we live in.
Decoder Replay: The power of individual climate action
To fight climate change, we can each do more than take the bus instead of drive. Systemic change is spurred when individual shouts becomes a collective outcry.
Decoder: Can you trust what’s on the medicine label?
Natural and herbal medicines are much cheaper than prescription pills. But whether they work and are safe is another story.
Does facing your own death give you a new lease on life?
Every moment could be our last opportunity in life, and this acknowledgement gives weight to our actions while stripping away trivial distractions.
Should generosity require reciprocity?
We learn that it is good to share what we have with those less fortunate. But when those around us simply take, important social bonds begin to fray.
Decoder Replay: How far would you go to save a hippo?
In Uganda, poachers endanger an already threatened species. Protecting this big animal is no small feat.
Weighing the good and bad of technology
Many argue that technology comes with high social and environmental costs. Others say innovation will save our planet. Can both be right?
You lost them at “Hello”
Language shapes how people perceive each other. Small differences in pronunciation can affect who is welcomed or dismissed. But language can also connect us.
The thawing of our tallest peaks
The Himalayan mountains hold the largest concentration of ice and snow outside the polar regions. What happens when all that begins to melt?The Zanskar Mountain Range in Jammu...
Decoder Replay: Is the United States aging out of democracy?
For 250 years, much of the world has looked at the United States as the model democracy. Is that still the case?
Can AI therapists really help you sort out your problems?
You can get an appointment with an AI therapist 24/7 and talk through your problems on your own comfy couch. Any downsides to that?
Media in Bangladesh get caught up in anti-India attacks
Frustrated with their government and inflamed by the death of an activist, mobs turn their anger on the press.
Decoder Replay: Why welcome a poke in the arm?
Anti-vaxxers see a dark conspiracy around vaccines. But the reality is that for millions of people globally, vaccines are the life-saving miracle of science.
Cuts to U.S. health aid jeopardises a global success story
Tens of millions of people get life-saving treatment thanks to decades of U.S. government funds that have now evaporated. In Africa, this is a wake-up call.
Smog threatens sites that survived centuries of onslaught
Tourists flock to India’s World Heritage Sites. But without a conservation plan that addresses pollution, will these historic places survive another century?
Decoder Replay: A week of chaos for one Alpine town
At the World Economic Forum, important people discuss global problems. For the people who live in Davos, it’s a week of cars and people clogging the streets.
The danger of overdoing over-the-counter medicine
There’s vitamin D for bones, ginkgo biloba for memory, St. John’s wort for your mood, zinc for an immune boost. If it’s all natural, what’s the problem?
Bringing back birds from the brink of extinction
Among the lush greenery of Maui, some spectacular birds are dying out. A group of conservationists is working to bring these populations back to life.
Decoder Replay: Isn’t all for one and one for all a good thing?
Under NATO, 32 countries have pledged to defend each other. Is the United States the glue that holds it all together?
Decoder: The United States as guardian or bully
Can national sovereignty be dismissed when a superpower claims a sphere of influence? Can U.S. economic interests in Venezuela be considered national security?
Tanzanian parents struggle with misconceptions of autism
Raising a child with autism carries special challenges. Confronting the ignorance of society shouldn’t be one of them.
Paradise on Earth: A student podcast
This prize-winning student podcast explores how faith and power — forces that can be used for good — may be misused for personal gain. The result is tragic.
Ousting Venezuela’s leader was high on Trump’s to-do list
To understand how the United States could send troops to capture Nicolás Maduro, it helps to review the relationship during Donald Trump’s first term in office.
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?