Students at the European School Brussels II discuss the impact that "The Great Acceleration" -- the dramatic growth of a large range of measures of human activity that started in the mid-20th century and continuing to this day -- has had on Earth's environment.

The Great Acceleration

Hanna Rahman, a student at the Hewitt School in New York City, examines how COVID-19 hit hospitals in the city and what the pandemic shows about the U.S. healthcare system. In her interview with Dr. Graham Barr, a professor of medicine and epidemiology at Columbia University Irving Medical Center, Rahman learns about long-standing, systemic inequities in the city's healthcare system and how certain racial groups from certain areas of the city suffered most from the pandemic. But there's hope to be drawn from the effective impact the lockdown and social distancing measures had on mitigating the pandemic.

Lessons from COVID-19 about pandemics and the U.S. healthcare system

A song written by Susan Ruel about the 9/11 attacks on New York City

Twisted Christmas

Ground Zero Blues

Frustrated. Angry. Disappointed. Such are the feelings of young people in the face of climate change. Four students from News Decoder partner schools -- Paulo Araujo and Panashe Noel Jonga of the African Leadership Academy, Raivo Kleijsen of the European School of Brussels II and Lucy Maitland-Lewis of The Thacher School -- speak about their feelings as world leaders meet at the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow.

Youth speak out about climate change

Some consider them a nuisance, but bees are critically important to humankind. In this podcast, "Plan Bee," two students at the European School Brussels II explain how climate change and humans are endangering bees.

There's no Plan B if our friends the bees perish

We are all flooded with misinformation. But what can we do about it?

We turned to Henry Brechter, managing editor of the U.S. media company AllSides, to explore whether misinformation can be effectively curbed through government regulation, or whether such efforts would do irreparable damage to free speech. AllSides uses media bias ratings to provide balanced news across the U.S. political spectrum.

In our podcast, "Let's Talk About It," we explore the complex and oftentimes fraught relationship between the principle of free speech and the need to protect the public against misinformation that can foster political polarization.

We young people need to learn to navigate the media landscape and teach ourselves how to identify bias in the news. Our generation should aim to be as educated as possible so we can assess the accuracy of information and not rely on government regulation.

Here is our contribution to the campaign for media literacy.

Let's Talk About It

A poem written and recited by Jaeda Liddell

The clouds

Vending machine

Dear creator of the world,

Student author Luna Lee discusses writing for News Decoder, her experience volunteering in China and what it is like to travel between cultures.

An interview with Luna Lee about "The Forgotten Schools"

Student author Clover Choi discusses writing and publishing for News Decoder and her experience studying abroad in France this year.

Decoder Podcast: Clover Choi

On this episode of the Decoder Podcast, we have a very special guest — outgoing News Decoder board member Janet Hartwell. Listen as she describes her decades of global teaching experience. Plus, get her take on what "good teaching" truly is.

Decoder Podcast: Janet Hartwell

Managing Director Maria Krasinski gives us a glimpse into News Decoder's future as we celebrate our eighth birthday.

This episode of the Decoder Podcast was recorded as part of our June 2023 Giving Campaign. To support global connectedness and media literacy skill-building across the world, please visit: https://news-decoder.com/stories-without-borders/ 

Your support enables us to continue doing work that builds bridges — thank you!

Decoder Podcast: A conversation with our Managing Director

How To Make A Podcast

Interview with Ms. Reem Abu Hassan

Interested in identity and gender, Giuliana Nicolucci-Altman spent a summer studying in Jerusalem trying to “understand how communities of fundamentally differing ideologies can potentially find compromise and live together in harmony.”

At Hebrew University’s Rothberg International School in Jerusalem, Nicolucci-Altman met Student Life director and LGBTQ+ campus representative Ira Kirschner to learn about resources and support available to the city’s gay community.

That led her to the Video Hub, the only gay bar in Jerusalem and a place where anyone, of any religion, can be themselves. Ira introduced Giuliana to local gay rights activist Eyal Lurie-Pardes, who identifies as bisexual and used to work at the Video Hub.

An active member in the gay community,  Eyal spoke about being open in deeply conservative and religious areas of Israel.

Standing Up For Gay Rights In Israel

Robots are everywhere. Two post-graduate students from the California Institute of Technology explained to our reporter Charlotte Crang how robots are already interacting with humans — sometimes in ways we may not even notice.

Claudia Kann and Maegan Tucker are interested in how robots can help people recover from serious injuries. Perhaps not quite the Doctor Robot you may be picturing (sorry!), but just as fascinating.

Maegan works on assistive rehabilitation technology and studies how different robotic techniques can enhance human mobility. At the moment, she’s working on a balance-detection device.

Claudia works on helping healthier patients walk using less energy with the help of an exoskeleton for ankles.

They also have a message for girls in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM): “Don’t give up. We need you!”

Charlotte Crang also speaks with guest expert Jeremy Wagstaff, who provides listeners with a somber take on how robots could disrupt the workforce if governments don’t ensure people are reskilled.

How Will Robots Transform Society?

Gabriella Iskra introduces listeners to marine biologist Emma Williams, Reuters Environment Correspondent Alister Doyle and News-Decoder correspondent Sue Landau.

Emma Williams, 24, spent nine months in the Seychelles rebuilding coral and studying damage from rising sea temperatures and bleaching. Now, she is committed to educating people about the importance of sharks for keeping the ocean healthy by killing off old, dying and sick sea life.

Our reporter, Gabriella, found the interview both inspiring and terrifying. “Marine conservation is something we don’t encounter much because we don’t see it, it’s under the sea.”

The ocean’s hidden challenges have drawn Emma in, and Gabriella said she was surprised to hear about the extent of the damage that Emma describes to listeners.

Gabriella is keen to learn more about the human impact on the environment, plastic waste, oil companies, farming, animal welfare and climate change. “She [Emma] explained to me how terrifying it was to witness the state of the coral reefs. In parts of the ocean where she went diving, it’s just barren. They’re bleached, there’s no life, and this whole image we have of beautiful fish and plants, there is none of that.”

There’s more. Beyond the sharks and coral, all marine life is affected by pollution, climate change, overfishing and trawling. “Imagine if we used the fish trawling methods on land in safari parks and needlessly took all the zebras and lions and tigers.”

There are some things we can change. But time is of the essence. In her conversations with Alister Doyle and Sue Landau, Gabriella asks just how urgent it is to take action on ocean issues.

Where Have All The Corals Gone?

Kate van Dusen is back in her hometown in the U.S. state of Texas after a year abroad in China. Her experience living on the other side of the "Great Firewall of China" made her curious about how the Chinese view media censorship in their country, and how Western media outlets also face different types of censorship.

 In this episode, you'll hear from News-Decoder Correspondent and former Chairman of Thomson Reuters China David Schlesinge, Zhou Fengshou, a former student leader The Tiananmen Square protests, Curry Wang, a Chinese national living in Canada, and Garrett Wilson, an American reporter who covered the French yellow vests movement.

Free speech against media censorship

Listen to snippets of students at the Algalita International Youth Summit where young people from nine different countries gathered to share and discuss ways to end plastic pollution.

Ryan Rothman is a student at the Chadwick School in California and reported on youth action on plastic pollution for News-Decoder in a multi-media story: https://news-decoder.com/2020/03/24/plastic-pollution-youth/

Voices: 'Plastic warriors' creatively tackle plastic pollution

Hanna Rahman and Sadie Dyson of the Hewitt School in New York City interview Sabina Wills, a 17-year old Colombian national, to learn more about immigration into the United States.

Immigration in America: A look into the Lives of Young Immigrants

Africa is often misrepresented in the media as a poverty-stricken safari-land. Who benefits from such stereotypes? How can we reshape the image?

Episode 2: How to reshape stereotypes of Africa in the media?

In this episode we’ll hear from Skye Neulight and Saga Leslie, based in Los Angeles, about the impact of coronavirus on the youth climate movement.

How is COVID-19 disrupting traditional climate activism?

In this episode we’ll hear from Sage Silberman, reporting from Los Angeles in the United States on how COVID-19 is disproportionately affecting African Americans.

Why are so many Black Americans dying from COVID-19?

Young people taking action and creating political change

A global educational news service for young people.

Popular tracks by News Decoder