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Podcasting where the press is under pressure
Ljudmila Janković is a journalist in the Balkans, where speech isn’t quite free. But podcasting there might help foster a more independent media.
Fighting for more than survival
The Kurdish people in North Syria are attacked by Turkey to the north and Syria to the south. No one wants them there but they have nowhere to go.
Decoder Replay: Being stateless in a world of border walls
Millions of people around the world have no rights and live in the shadows, on the margins of society.
From hero to zero: Overcoming post-Olympic blues
The Olympics are the pinnacle of an athletic career. But after athletes step off the podium a deeper challenge awaits. Who are they when the uniforms come off?
Stories from here to there as we enter the new year
Garbage in Paris. Death of a statesman. Climate talks in the desert. Coups and crises. As we greet 2024, how much do you recall from the year that’s been?
Two states but one homeland. A path for Mideast peace?
Despite the failure to achieve even substantial cease fires in Israel’s war with Hamas, there are people who still think lasting peace is possible.
Decoder Replay: Is it even possible to push Putin from power?
Vladimir Putin has held power in Russia since before the turn of the millennium. Political opponents haven’t had a chance against him. Is that still true?
Remembering NASA’s Christmas present to the world
On Christmas Eve 55 years ago an astronaut snapped a photo that caught the world’s attention. The global selfie made us rethink our place in the universe.
The birthing of civilization
Across cultures and times, midwives have been at the side of women, helping bring healthy babies into the world. Finally the world recognizes their value.
When you build on history, what gets buried?
When you walk the streets of Zaragoza, Moorish architecture catches your eye. But learning about the history of the Moors in Spain takes more effort.
Decoder Replay: Caught in the valley of two nuclear powers
India and Pakistan — both nuclear powers — have fought three wars over Kashmir. But neither will yield in one of the world’s intractable conflicts.
Australia dances with two superpowers
The United States may be the leader of the free world, but China is the economic powerhouse in the Pacific. Both want Australia as their dance partner.
Curious about the Quran
In the wake of the Hamas attack on Israel and Israel’s unrelenting attacks on Gaza, around the world people curious about Islam flock to their local mosque.
A green food that’s key to ending malnutrition worldwide
A spiral-shaped algae is cheap and easy to grow. It’s so nutritious that NASA thinks it can power people to Mars. On earth it can keep our kids healthy.
Decoder Replay: The danger of talking truth to power in Hong Kong
Hong Kong youth tried to assert their rights three years ago. The repercussions are still being felt. Agnes Chow fled to Canada and feels she cannot return home.
Saving people, fish and Alpine snow: Our story contest winners
For the 14th News Decoder Storytelling Competition, the winning stories tackled human trafficking, river conservation and climate change.
Mining nickel comes with big costs
Massive industrial complexes for nickel mining have transformed an Indonesian island long home to fishing villages and school children.
Faculty in the Spotlight: Russell Spinney
Russell Spinney of The Thacher School knows teaching history means teaching humans. He wins this month’s Faculty in the Spotlight award.
Police pushback against protesters in Peru
Peru has had six presidents in five years. The one constant? A government that reacts with force when people call for change.
Decoder Replay: Jitters over big ships and tiny islands
Map lines drawn on the ocean can’t be seen from a boat deck. But in the South China Sea, a ship crossing these invisible lines could mean war.
What’s not to understand about climate change?
In Uganda and other places, people need to know how climate change actions will benefit their lives now. We have to change how we talk about the environment.
Where you call home
It is hard on teens when families move to cities far away. What happens when you must move to a new country, again and again?
Questioning the legacy of the most famous diplomat
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.
Can we work together to cool our planet?
COP28 begins today in Dubai. World leaders will negotiate ways to reverse carbon buildup. We give you some resources to help you make sense of it all.
Decoder Replay: Could youth give peace a chance?
Young people are caught in the crossfire in war. Those who survive are left with long term consequences. But we don’t think to include them in peace making.
Parallel (By)Lines: Reporting on reproductive health
Correspondent Susan Ruel sat down with student Goldie Zarabi of The Hewitt School in New York to talk journalism, objectivity and tough assignments.
Love your body like you’ll love your children
We pass down our eye color and bald heads to our kids. We also pass along health problems from the sugar and fat we consume and the smoke we inhale.
Top Tips: Capturing news with a camera is not a snap
Photojournalists tell stories through images. To do that they have to get into the thick of it.
Working towards a media literate world
Introducing Sabīne Bērziņa, News Decoder’s latest hire, to help lead our Mobile Stories project to teach media literacy through the practice of news gathering.
Decoder Replay: Tackling climate change with good COPs, bad COPs
For years, governments have engaged in marathon annual talks to try to end global warming. But they often fall frustratingly short.
Decoder: All’s fair in love, but not war
There is an evolving global consensus that some acts of violence in warfare are not acceptable. But how in the world can we enforce that?
Journalism in the future will be different
We had four students ask questions of three journalists in a live webinar to examine the state of journalism. Together they peered into the future.
Top Tips: Why don’t you rephrase that
First impressions are important. But with writing, the second draft is better. It helps to have an editor but sometimes you need to take on that role yourself.
Is the press free? It depends where you are.
When a journalist traveled from the east to the west of Europe, the level of press freedom was a cultural shock.
Decoder Replay: War is more complicated than media reports
Journalists tend to depict conflict as violent struggles between good and bad. There is a different way to think about war.
News Decoder focuses on the future of journalism
As technology changes, News Decoder is evolving while we maintain our mission of nurturing global awareness and cross-border collaborations through journalism.
Your souvenir as a medical tourist? A new kidney.
More than one million people traveled to India in a one year period for medical treatment. They came for the hospitals in Delhi not the beaches of Goa.
When a win in the stadium transcends the sport
For South Africans, winning the Rugby World Cup united a nation torn by politics, race and inequality. That’s the power of sports.
Decoder Replay: The world bears the scars of colonialism
Modern colonialism was once preached as a force for global good. Now it is seen as a system of exploitation, oppression and enslavement.
A tool to teach teens how to tell fact-based stories
To combat the spread of disinformation a new consortium will offer a digital tool to help teachers incorporate journalism into media literacy classes.
Decoder: The economy of babies and borders
Depopulation threatens the long term economic health of developed nations. At some point they will have to open their borders.
Decoder: Poland shows the world why voting matters
Polish voters in three different political parties united to wrest control of the government from the conservative Law and Justice party. What happens now?
Decoder Replay: Why abortion is more than a political debate
Abortion is wrapped up in politics in many nations including the U.S. But one in four pregnancies ends in abortion, making it a global health issue.
Feeding the world’s children one packet at a time
A million child deaths around the world could be prevented. It will take a big mobilization of health care workers and small packets of nutritional food.
Decoder: When no rain in Spain means world economic pain
Financial markets are so connected war, fire or flood in one country could sink an economy halfway across the globe. Or not. How does that work?
Decoder Replay: Let’s demystify rugby
New Zealand plays South Africa in our home base of Paris this weekend for the Rugby World Cup. To many, rugby is incomprehensible. Here’s all you need to know.
Decoder: The peril of neglecting Middle East peace
Hamas shatters the illusion of Israeli control.
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict in context
Hostages held by Hamas. An invasion of Gaza. A crush of refugees fleeing for safety. This conflict has a long history and must be understood in context.
Amid bombs and bullets, reporters are our eyes and ears.
We grab for news when events turn tragic and frightening. But we don’t think about the journalists on the ground who stay put amid violence and mayhem to bring us that news.