by Helen Womack | 27 Oct 2025 | Music, Politics, Russia, Ukraine
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 went out. Russian President Vladimir Putin and singer Alla Pugacheva at an awards ceremony in the Kremlin in Moscow, December 2014. (Credit:...
by Marcy Burstiner | 19 Sep 2025 | Journalism, Mobile Stories, News Decoder Tips, Writing
No matter how careful and talented a writer you are, you want an editor to give your story a careful reading. Here’s what a difference an editor can make. An editor takes a red pen to a story draft. (Illustration by News Decoder) At News Decoder, we share advice...
by News Decoder | 18 Sep 2025 | Politics, United States
In the United States there seems to be a war on free speech. But taking down TV shows is just one way the powerful can silence speech they don’t like. The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution with the sections on free speech and press redacted. (Illustration...
by Andrea Knezevic | 16 Sep 2025 | Europe, News Decoder Updates, WePod
Podcasts have become an essential way to tell important stories, whether they are in French, Spanish, Swedish or Albanian. A European Union flag with a podcasting symbol in the center. (Illustration by News Decoder.) Podcasting has moved quickly from niche to...
by Andrea Knezevic | 11 Sep 2025 | Culture, News Decoder Updates, Personal Reflections, WePod
Bring people who speak different languages and come from different cultures into the same project and things can get messy. But the results are worth it. People around a table offer ideas in different languages. (Illustration by News Decoder) This article was produced...