Engage your students with real world, global perspectives for any subject
News Decoder articles go beyond headlines to provide context for the big issues in the news. Our correspondents bring decades of journalistic expertise reporting on major world events to write exclusive news decoders for our youth audience. Student reporters are trained in our Pitch, Report, Draft, Revise methodology to produce balanced, credible and authoritative news content.
Every article includes a list of questions to prompt discussion. Browse our news archive by select category below, or search by keywords.
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Climate Change
Indonesians to vote for a new leader as foreign powers watch
The upcoming election pits employment against the environment. Meanwhile China and the United States wait to see whether the new president will look east or west.
Decoder Replay: Ingenuity died, but we still dream of Mars
The little space copter that could finally puttered out. But our hopes for stepping on Martian soil? That keeps chugging along.
Europe races to install heat pumps to cool the planet
A heat pump isn’t nearly as sexy as an electric BMW or a floating wind turbine. But on an individual level, it might make a big difference.
When mass shootings happen outside the United States
Can we explain mass shootings in places like the Czech Republic or Serbia as American-influenced phenomena or is something else going on? We turned to one expert to learn more.
Countries that lack power find a united voice
The 121 countries of the non-aligned movement agree on one thing: It is time to assert their place in a divided world.
Ukraine
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?
Can the world enforce peace?
Volodymyr Zelensky criticized the United Nations for its failure to stop the war in Ukraine. But to do more would mean changing how the United Nations works.
Decoder: The myth of an international community
When Russia invaded Ukraine, the “international community” stood back. But is there such a thing? What, if anything, can bring the world together?
What happens when friendship has no benefits?
The West worries about the bond between Russia and China. But perhaps they should consider the possible consequences if this friendship breaks down.
Painting flowers and dreaming of peace
One Ukrainian journalist in exile sells art to help her colleagues in peril back home as she waits for the war to end.
Technology
Europe races to install heat pumps to cool the planet
A heat pump isn’t nearly as sexy as an electric BMW or a floating wind turbine. But on an individual level, it might make a big difference.
Girls wielding the power of technology
We turn to technology to solve our problems but most of it is designed by men. One woman believes girls can program their own solutions.
Working towards the ultimate source of clean energy
Andrea Kritcher has done something that seemed an impossible dream: Conducted a successful laboratory test that showed that fusion energy could work.
Kenya tries again to digitally register all residents
If a government agency stores the DNA and fingerprints of its residents can it serve them more efficiently or control them more effectively?
On maps, borders pop out. Up above, lines get fuzzy.
Many of the more than five thousand satellites orbiting the earth are capable of producing high-resolution images. International agreements aren’t as clear.
Economy
Decoder: Can China weather its economic woes?
It is the top trading partner for 120 countries. So if China’s economy tanks so will the world. But fears that that will happen may be overblown.
To wean the toy industry off plastic is no easy game
The global toy industry has a plastics predicament: How to feed children’s appetite for new toys, keep prices low and not harm the Earth in the process.
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.
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: 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?
Personal Reflections
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.
Can you write something worth reading?
Your opinion matters. But how you express that opinion in print can mean a yawning reader or one who can’t stop thinking about your ideas.
Navigating a world of preconceptions
We carry complicated identities inside us. But others see only the outside and they carry their own biases. That can result in privilege or prejudice.
Global citizenship education is more than just a buzzphrase
Living in a globalized world means appreciating the nuance of diverse perspectives and shared experiences.
The City of Light is momentarily the City of Trash
Think of Paris and your mind brings up the scent of fresh baked baguettes, not the reek of rubbish on the Rue de Rivoli.
Health & Wellness
An ancient art form connecting two continents
For one Canadian artist, the vibrancy of Japanese washi pulled her out of the darkness of mental illness.
Decoder: Can China weather its economic woes?
It is the top trading partner for 120 countries. So if China’s economy tanks so will the world. But fears that that will happen may be overblown.
To wean the toy industry off plastic is no easy game
The global toy industry has a plastics predicament: How to feed children’s appetite for new toys, keep prices low and not harm the Earth in the process.
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?
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.