Newsfeed
Scientists and social activists work to fight AIDS together
After four decades and some 40 millions deaths, can we end this worldwide health crisis?
Top Tips: Can you develop a nose for news?
Not everything that happens is news. To entice an editor to publish or air your story it needs to interest readers or listeners. But there are ways to tell if a story will be a good one.
Has the “end of history” already begun?
Go back two decades and the trend was towards global democracy. Now we are seeing rising authoritarianism. What would global autocracy look like?
Decoder Replay: Can sport be an antidote to populism?
As athletes compete in the Olympics and Paralympics, we see the possibility of competition without fear or hatred. Can we all learn from their example?
Finding people with stories to tell
Lance Roller II has interviewed people who vied for Olympic medals, overlooked war heroes and artists trying to change the way science sees people.
For athletes at the top of the game it is mind and body
Olympians can nail double backflips on a mat or 360 flips on boards. But when they train, they also go to bed early and stay off social media. Can you do that?
Top Tips: The key to power writing is simple
People often try to impress readers with big words and sentences. But maybe readers just want you to get to the point.
Who wants a therapist who’s robotic? But a robot therapist? Maybe.
Artificial intelligence shows promise and peril. But some people might find it more comforting to tell their problems to a machine than a human.
Decoder Replay: The paradox of poverty and plenty in Venezuela
The chaos taking place in Venezuela over its recent election feels like a rerun. Why can’t a nation rich in oil satisfy the needs and desires of its people?
Correspondents in the Spotlight: Tira Shubart
Journalism gave one reporter the ability to travel the world to be there when things happen. For News Decoder, her stories take us into outer space.
With Labour leading in Britain, people look for calm after chaos
With its sixth prime minister in eight years, will the British finally be able to stop faffing around and get on with it?
Top Tips: Journalism skills can transfer to any career
Go into politics? Be a doctor? Sell cars? Synthesizing info, listening, asking questions and handling deadlines are valuable skills whatever the job.
Decoder: How crazy is the U.S. electoral system?
Why the winner of the most votes in the U.S. presidential election might lose the presidency.
Decoder Replay: Could the U.S. and Iran get beyond their animosity?
Change in leadership in the two countries brings the possibility of rapport. But there is a long history of hostility that is hard to overcome.
Correspondents in the Spotlight: John West
Understanding global politics is one thing. But how to explain it without boring us? Journalist John West tells us how he makes the complicated compelling.
Decoder: Can NATO prevent a third world war?
The mutual defence pact started with 12 nations and now has 32 members. But does bigger mean safer?
Top Tips: The leader we look up to could be you
Leaders don’t suddenly materialise. They struggle as they hone their leadership skills. To be a great leader you just need to believe in yourself.
Decoder Replay: After the Olympics, what then?
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?
Correspondents in the Spotlight: Enock Wanderema
Journalism takes courage. So does moving from a rural village to a capital city. Correspondent Enock Wanderema shares his journey to becoming a global citizen.
From weed to feed: Using nature to control an invasive plant
Not too long ago, water hyacinth covered Lake Victoria in Africa. People found a tiny bug could help control it. Now farmers see the weed as a resource.
Top Tips: Speak to the uninformed without losing those who know
When you read or hear a story do you feel left out because you don’t know the background? Why do some stories leave us feeling stupid?
What it took to cover an unpopular war
In 1962 reporters arriving in Vietnam found an increasing U.S. military presence that wasn’t supposed to exist. Reporting what was happening took courage.
Decoder Replay: Covering the Olympics is a marathon
Journalists don’t win medals. But to cover the Olympics takes extraordinary stamina. You don’t want to let down the team.
Decoder: Are we over worried about underpopulation?
In Japan and elsewhere, governments grapple with a frightening future: Too few young to support too many old. How big a problem is this shrinkage?
Top Tips: When you can’t think of what to say, try drawing it
A photo might be worth a thousand words. But an artistic drawing can tell a story in a different, and powerful way.
Decoder: Warships in Cuba but no missile crisis this time
A fleet of Russian warships in Havana in June revived memories of the 1962 face off between Kennedy and Kruschev that had the world holding its breath.
Decoder Replay: Corruption hurts democracy and human rights
When the rule of law doesn’t apply to world leaders, can they be reined in? Should a president or prime minister be above the law?
A growing need and shrinking funds
Immigrants seeking asylum in New York City struggle to get help meeting basic needs. Nonprofit organizations struggle to fill the vacuum.
Using AI to understand how people consume news
Sonali Verma, who joins News Decoder’s board of trustees, pioneered the use of artificial intelligence in gathering journalism data.
Top Tips: Be prepared to be surprised
News Decoder asked four young women for advice for high school students. They say the future is what you make it but it might not be what you expect.
Using one’s own voice to tell other people’s stories
Over five days, young people working with News Decoder mastered the art of interviewing and learned what it takes to turn audio into a podcast.
Decoder Replay: Why a backlash against wokeism?
The term “woke” is caught up in a divisive culture war in the United States. Why is the idea of social justice not universally accepted?
Frustrated and fed up: Youth turnout could hit a record low in UK election
In the run-up to the UK elections, young people in Britain struggle to know where to turn. Their voice counts but does anyone listen?
Is this year of elections also the year of deepfakes?
Many people around the world already distrust their election systems. What will happen when artificial intelligence enters the picture?
Top Tips: Listen up!
In a world where everyone has to have their say, listening has become a lost art. But it is the key to getting the best stories.
What you need to know about France’s snap elections
We asked two correspondents based in France why the high-stakes national election matters. Here’s what they said.
Decoder Replay: Should half the world have fewer basic rights?
The UN says that in places where women face severe discrimination we need to recognize that as apartheid. But the idea is not universally accepted.
Decoder: How healthy is the world’s largest democracy?
Elections jolted the ambitions of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his ruling party. But they may have breathed fresh life into India’s flagging democracy.
Top Tips: Spotlight solutions not just problems
What’s the point of reporting on an unsolvable problem? Instead, identify solutions people can act on.
Teaching media literacy through journalism and education
One of News Decoder’s new board members has made it her mission to help young people navigate the media landscape to better understand the world they live in.
Decoder Replay: Civil war and starvation in Sudan
Civil war in Sudan is causing a humanitarian crisis in an already unstable region. This is not something the world can ignore.
Give youth a good reason to vote
There is a belief that young people don’t care enough to cast a ballot. But maybe politicians need to address the issues they care about.
Too many people, too few homes
Obstacles to building housing have created a homeless crisis in California. Can the “Golden State” find a way to house the people living on its streets?
Life-saving procedures for those who can pay
In India, tens of thousands need kidney transplants and can’t get them. High demand and short supply makes organs a valuable commodity.
Are you on a hero’s journey?
We may not recognize them, but we all undertake quests. They can be grand and cinematic, or quiet and reflective. They all change our lives.
A network of journalists across the world
News Decoder started with one journalist who sought to build global awareness in young people. Over the next nine years dozens of other journalists signed on.
By protesting, the French continue a long tradition of dissent
When you think of France, you might picture sitting at a café. But taking to the streets to air grievances is as French as Beaujolais.
Building a global network of students and journalists
News Decoder started as an idea: Informing youth about global events. It evolved into something much more.
Wh-Y Vote? When individuals vote across national borders
We asked our reporters in five countries to talk to young people about the European elections. They know their voice matters.
The pen might be mighty, but in war it isn’t much protection
With the 156,000 allied troops who came ashore at Normandy on D-Day were 500 news reporters armed only with pens, paper, cameras and recording equipment.