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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.
Wh-Y Vote?: Poland’s youth want a say in European affairs
Young people in Poland know that European integration is important. But they struggle to connect to political bodies that seem far away.
Wh-Y Vote?: Generation Z could turn Hungary’s EU vote
Hungary’s current government distances itself from the European Union. But young people share a different mindset.
Wh-Y Vote? Latvian youth like Europe. Voting not so much.
Latvian youth are not accustomed to democratic participation. How can they be encouraged?
Wh-Y Vote?: In Denmark youth seek European solutions
With fjords dying and seas rising, Danish youth will go to the polls knowing the nation’s problems are transnational.
Wh-Y Vote?: French youth struggle to find reasons to cast a European ballot
Freedom to travel across borders comes with EU citizenship. But will la jeunesse travel across town to vote as Europeans?
Decoder Replay: Can British citizens elect stability?
Brexit upended British politics. We look at the chaos that gave Rishi Sunak the office of prime minister as British voters decide whether to let him stay there.
Education that is about knowledge and action
The newest board president of News Decoder’s nonprofit wants to help students tell their stories and discover a wider world.
Decoder: Israel’s Gaza revenge convulses Arab world
The world’s attention is on Gaza. But Israel’s neighbors worry about their own stability as they fear the chaos will spread.
Decoder: Can the world bring leaders to justice?
The rule of law seems to apply to our enemies. For national allies a crime isn’t necessarily a crime.
How we know about our past and present
Historians dig up stories that document our past the way archeologists sift through relics. The more they learn the more we realize how much we don’t know.
Decoder Replay: The dangers of vaping become more clear
Vaping has exploded in popularity with young people. But the case against e-cigarettes for both smokers and non-smokers is mounting.
Telling stories in untraditional ways
Cathal O’Luanaigh, News Decoder’s newest team member, brings a multilingual and multimedia perspective to our schools program.
Making sense of wild creatures with photography
Determined not to disturb wildlife, researchers in Uganda are using a technology that dates back to 1906.
Evidence: Photos document the brutality of a dictatorship
Photojournalist Enrique Shore spent years capturing the work of a commission investigating the disappearance of tens of thousands of Argentine dissidents.
Top Tips: Jargon shouldn’t be a required language
Within professions, people use terminology to be precise. But for communication, clarity requires simple language.
Decoder Replay: A torch ignites Olympic fever in France
Millions of people will cheer their nation at the Paris Summer Olympics. Others shake their heads at its cost. Do the Games still serve a purpose?
Is Artificial Intelligence our “Oppenheimer moment”?
AI is already transforming our lives. Should we depend on it or fear it?
China’s “Golden Age” is proving to be tourist gold
“China Chic” has millions celebrating China’s glorious past. The number of people traveling to historic sites and tourist attractions is skyrocketing.
Watch what you say in Myanmar’s sacred forest
What’s a more powerful conservation incentive — a government jail or the wrath of a nature spirit?
Historic wounds reopen as Baltic states face new fear of war
It’s been 34 years since the Soviet Union controlled Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia. But the Ukraine conflict has people thinking: Are we ready for war?
Decoder Replay: The International Criminal Court eyes Israel
The world’s court can issue arrest warrants against government leaders. But would a country like Israel submit to its authority?
Decoder: Taiwan’s precarious autonomy in the shadow of China
Both China and Taiwan are important players on the international stage. But the status quo that has Taiwan enjoying autonomy from China might not last.
It’s first, second and third place for Zurich students
A one-week workshop produced three winners in our storytelling contest. Across the Atlantic, St. Andrews Episcopal in Mississippi tied for second place.
Russia holds a journalist captive as a pawn for prisoner swaps
In Russia, international press credentials don’t keep journalists out of prison. But how to stop Vladimir Putin from using arrests to spur prisoner swaps?
Is Julian Assange a journalist worthy of press protections?
Some worry that the prosecution of Julian Assange could set a precedent for prosecuting anyone who disseminates information gathered by whistleblowers.
Decoder Replay: Reporting where the press isn’t free
May 3 will mark World Press Freedom Day reminding us that despite the important work journalists do, in many places it is difficult for them to do that job.
Decoder: Why peace in the Middle East seems so out of reach
To understand the anger and fear in Israel and Palestine, you have to go back to Israel’s foundation and the lines drawn in the sand.
Anatomy no longer gray
Ailments affect all kinds of people. But images doctors see in their textbooks and research journals don’t often reflect that. AI just makes it worse.
A disconcerting movie zooms in on war reporting
The movie “Civil War” gives little backstory, leaving viewers to experience war in the moment, the way the reporters in the film cover it.
Decoder: Can the United States make peace with migration?
Millions of migrants cross the U.S.-Mexican border. North of the border, some fear them. But the economy depends on migrants and it is they who face real dangers.
Decoder Replay: What’s “The Fed” and why does it matter?
An announcement from the Federal Reserve of the United States can send investors around the world into a frenzy. We went to our experts to find out why.
Could you crown yourself king?
There are tales in history of common folk becoming supreme rulers. How difficult is that to do?
Who is responsible for climate change? A Decoder Dialogue
Are wealthy countries responsible for mitigating the effects of climate change in developing countries? Students take up the debate — and find common ground.
Can India be a global role model for climate-friendly energy growth?
Meeting a growing energy demand can go hand-in-hand with the green transition. This is what India could show the world.
Decoder Replay: A healthy planet as a human right
Threats to nature persist despite global efforts to save our planet. But do we have an inalienable right to a habitable planet?
Can we find ways to satisfy people’s hunger to learn?
Our new board member wants to foster the insatiable curiosity we all have, whether through a book pulled off a shelf or a digital site like News Decoder.
For media literacy, teach that journalism is real, not fake
News and media literacy groups are calling on Europe to include journalism in media literacy education. Students need to know how to spot news they can trust.
Decoder replay: Financing climate change solutions
We need to mitigate climate change. Only governments have the cash for that. Are they ready to pony up?
Can the United States keep reporters who cover the 2024 election safe?
If the 2020 election in the United States was any indication, there will be a lot of angry people in this go-around regardless of the result.
Education as an alternative to child marriage
Desperate to give daughters a safe life, some refugees marry them off early. One organization in Lebanon is showing girls that there is an alternative.
The COVID-19 symptom that won’t go away: lingering loneliness
Long after teens returned to school, the isolation they endured during lockdown had ramifications we are just now seeing.
Growing food on arid land
Little grew in the Sahel region of North Africa, until the World Food Program helped people revive a traditional farming practice and resuscitate the land.
Decoder Replay: Why would a nation ditch democracy?
Autocrats are on the rise all over the world. Why would a voter choose one over a candidate that believes in democracy?
Even AI thinks journalism is essential
Ask an AI app if it will kill off journalism and you get a nuanced answer. But from a human point of view, things seem more black and white.
When we release a river
It is one thing to taking down a massive hydroelectric dam. Now can we restore the land to what it was a hundred years ago?
Decoder Replay: Fighting to end female genital mutilation
Millions of girls around the world undergo a brutal and unnecessary surgery. Gambia, which banned the practice, is set to reverse course.
WITW? Your instant message can be a permanent pact
Courts around the world are considering promises made via text message as legally-binding contracts.
What happens when space junk falls to earth?
Way up over our heads satellites and rocket parts orbit the Earth. Sometimes pieces of metal fall towards us. Most burn up in the atmosphere, but not all.
Europe learns it’s not so easy to nix nuclear energy
The fear of another Chernobyl makes nuclear energy bad for politics. But with Europe struggling to reduce carbon is it good for the environment?