by Norma Hilton | 3 Aug 2023 | Educators' Catalog, Journalism, Media Literacy
Making sure that information is true isn’t easy. Our correspondent takes you through the arduous process of fact-checking a news story. Illustration by Ana Schwartz for News Decoder When I first started out in journalism as a 17-year-old, I had never heard of...
Correspondent Norma Hilton models the process of fact-checking in this important article for students and adults alike. In a world inundated with instantaneous information at our fingertips, knowing how to distinguish fact from fiction is ever-critical.
Exercise: After reading the article, have students dissect the fact-checking process modeled in the text. Prompt a class discussion on what the process looks like in practice, step-by-step. Did anything about the process surprise them? Then, in pairs, students should fact-check a short news text (either one they’ve selected or one you provide to them). Which sources should they examine to confirm that the text is credible?
by Rafiullah Nikzad | 27 Jul 2023 | Art, Journalism, Russia, Ukraine
One Ukrainian journalist in exile sells art to help colleagues in peril back home as she waits for the war to end. Ukrainian journalist and artist Lyudmila Makei examines a painting of flowers on exhibit at the National Museum of Kosovo in June 2023. (Photo by...
by News Decoder | 25 Jul 2023 | Education, Environment, Journalism, Science, Writing's on the Wall
We’ve created a library of educational resources to decode climate science and face the crisis with journalism, activism and art. CO2 written on a blackboard. (Credit: Getty Images Signature) Teaching climate change is a daunting task for educators, whether for...
by Jeremy Solomons | 12 Jul 2023 | Americas, Economy, Journalism
A young reporter once exposed the lies of a prime minister. That reporting had global repercussions. Then came the backlash. Scene from a beach on a Caribbean island. (Credit ViliamM/Getty Images) This article was produced exclusively for News Decoder’s global news...
by Marcy Burstiner | 4 Jul 2023 | Journalism, Media Literacy
It can be difficult to tell the difference between fact and opinion. And some things we consider true may not be true to all people. (Illustration by News Decoder) At News Decoder we are all about fact-based journalism. That means that the information in a news story...
by Marcy Burstiner | 28 Jun 2023 | Journalism, Media Literacy
We teach teens to see the world through a journalistic lens. But what does that mean? And how can that help to teach global awareness and media literacy? Two journalists reporting from a war zone. (Credit: South_agency from Getty Images Signature) Journalists look for...
by Marcy Burstiner | 27 Jun 2023 | Journalism, Media Literacy, News Decoder Updates, Parallel (By)Lines
At News Decoder everything we do is designed to foster global awareness and make us all better global citizens. Problems cross borders. The solutions connect us. We can all be better global citizens by seeing what is happening around us in relation to what happens...
by Maria Krasinski | 26 Jun 2023 | Journalism, News Decoder Updates
News Decoder’s 8th birthday giving campaign goes beyond borders and back to basics. (Illustration by News Decoder) “Enable youth to be heard. To grasp why events matter. To engage in a global conversation.” That was the subtitle of News Decoder’s first...
by News Decoder | 21 Jun 2023 | Education, Educators' Catalog, Journalism
To get good stories you need to start with simple questions. The answers will be complicated. Reporters at a press conference raise their hands to ask a question. (Credit: Comstock) What’s your question? Journalists ask questions. Lots and lots and lots of questions....
In this piece, News Decoder editors help students develop a line of inquiry and questioning that can lead to solutions journalism. To get good stories, students should start with simple questions with big answers.
Exercise: After students read the article, have them brainstorm simple questions about the world around them that may lead to a great story. Perhaps students are curious about the options on their school lunch menu, or about why football is called “soccer” in some countries. Students should then consider who they may ask/interview to answer their question. This activity may be paired with a classroom writing assignment. If students produce a finished story, they are eligible to pitch the article to our team, with the possibility of publication on our site.
by Marcy Burstiner | 19 Jun 2023 | Journalism
To be globally aware, we depend on journalists around the world who risk their freedom and very lives to keep us informed. A mural depicting slain Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh is drawn on part of Israel’s controversial separation barrier, in...
