Category: News Decoder Tips

  • Do you live in a healthy media ecosystem?

    Do you live in a healthy media ecosystem?

    We are bombarded with information from news sites, friends, entertainment platforms and companies — through articles, messages, images, videos, ads and graphics. It can be difficult to know or even think about where the information is coming from. 

    Whether you realize it or not, this tsunami of information affects you: It shapes what you know about events, how you see the world and how you feel about people, issues and products. 

    In order to further understand big global issues such as climate change, and how it affects communities all over the world, it is helpful to understand how the media functions, what journalists do and how you can communicate about the climate crisis yourself. 

    The media can and, ideally, should perform a variety of critical functions in any society. It should: 

    • Keep the public informed of current events and issues; 

    • Foster informed debate and discussion on matters of public importance;

    • Hold powerful governmental and private actors to account. 

    Where media falls short

    In reality, the media often fails to do that in part because some foundational “building blocks” that keep media strong and independent have eroded. A World Bank How-To Guide on media development identifies five building blocks for a robust and independent media sector: 

    1. Infrastructure: Everything from transmission towers and cables, to news disseminators, to cell phone ownership should be publicly-owned or in a competitive landscape of corporate owners. 

    2. Professional Skills and Editorial Independence: A country must have enough journalism professionals trained to gather, produce and publish information according to ethical standards, and who are protected by law and policies from interference by governmental or business actors. 

    3. Financial Sustainability: Media organizations must have financially-sustainable business models that enable them to employ journalism professionals and fund the gathering, production and dissemination of news content. 

    4. Policy and Regulatory Environment: A country’s legal and policy framework must support and protect the gathering and disclosure of information, uphold editorial independence and protect journalists and their sources. 

    5. Civil Society and the Public: There must be a media-literate public, journalists’ unions and free press watchdogs to both protect the journalists doing their jobs and hold them to account for transgressions of ethical codes. 

    How healthy is your media ecosystem? 

    Many countries around the world lack some or all of the core building blocks of a robust media sector. As a result, the media content available in these countries is often poor, and the media fails to perform its good governance functions. 

    You can evaluate the state of the media sector in different countries by referring to a variety of online resources, including Reporters Without Borders’ World Press Freedom Index and the Media Ownership Monitor. 

    But even in places where the press seems to have a great deal of freedom, the media most people consume might be in the control of a very few corporate owners and some of those corporations are privately held by one person or family. 

    Can you think of some reasons why governments and families might have an interest in controlling the media? 

    The short answer is that owning media enables you to control the message. You can influence: 

    • What information is supplied; 

    • How much information is provided on any particular person, issue or topic; and

    • How the information is presented. 

    A sustainable media ecoystem

    In a sustainable media ecosystem both government and private media owners would fulfill the “good governance” functions discussed above: keeping the public informed, fostering debate and holding the powerful to account. 

    Media owners do this when they put institutional safeguards in place to ensure that the people it employs can report on issues without restraint or fear of repercussion. 

    This is essential because a journalist is the eyes and ears of the public. Few people have the time or energy or attention to keep an eye on all the things their government does or all the decisions corporations make that affect their lives. 

    That’s why historically people subscribed to newspapers and why people now follow news sites and journalists on social media. We rely on journalists to go out into the world to ask questions, observe what is happening and gather factual information to report it all back to us. 

    In practice, many media outlets fall short of this goal. 

    Profits and the press

    One way reputable media organizations protect editorial independence separating the editorial aims of the organization from its profit making function; the organization’s business operations don’t interact with the employees who produce its media content. That leaves journalists free to pursue important news stories, even if doing so could hurt the media outlet’s ability to sell ads or risks losing subscribers. 

    By doing this, the media organization builds and maintains credibility; It becomes a place where people come for information they can rely on. This information helps them make important decisions about their lives. Is it a good time to buy a house? Can they feel safe where they live? Will they be able to keep their jobs or find new ones? 

    Unfortunately, many media owners have found that it might be more profitable in the short term to focus news coverage in a way that pleases core audiences and advertisers. That happens when media consumers decide they will pay only for information that aligns with their beliefs and reject media that contradicts what they wish to believe.

    Ultimately, we have to think of the media ecosystem as a buffet you can go to for your meals. If too many people choose only the foods that satisfy their cravings for the sweet and salty, not only will their own health suffer, but the people who stock the buffet will start eliminating healthy foods altogether. What seems like a lot of choice in what you consume will end up as a lot of the same and none of it healthy. 

    So what can you do to support a healthier and sustainable media ecosystem? 

    Understand who owns the media you consume. Diversify the sources from where you get your information and seek out contrasting perspectives. If you can afford it, pay for subscriptions to outlets that have a record of independence. Support organizations that fight for a free and robust press. 

    As a consumer of media, you have power you can exercise. Media producers rely on you to read or listen to or watch what they produce. If you choose to do so, you support what they are doing. If you don’t, you tell them a different message altogether. 

    Questions to consider:

    1. What is a media ecosystem?

    2. How many information sites have you visited in the last three days? Can you list them? 

    3. Pick one of those sites. Can you figure out who owns it? Is that company based in your country?

     

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  • Be the oasis in your “news desert”

    Be the oasis in your “news desert”

    Across the world, local news media are disappearing. In the latest development, the News Media Corporation in the United States, based in the state of Illinois, shut down 23 newspapers across six states. 

    This is a result of a long and gradual global disintegration of the media ecosystem. It began decades ago when corporate owners of newspapers and television and radio stations began to consolidate their outlets. Two-newspaper towns became one-newspaper towns. Then investment banks noticed how much profit these local monopolies generated from ad sales, and bought them up.

    The internet came around and decimated those ad sales and the investors owning the publications stripped them down so newspapers that had teams of journalists now had just a handful. We are in the final stage where the owners are simply pulling the plug and selling off assets. 

    So what to do if you live in a news desert where there is no local source of news? Start your own news site. That doesn’t have to be as daunting a task as you might think. You don’t need to be the New York Times or Guardian. Start small. Here are some steps:

    Get started.

    Create a mission statement. What are you trying to accomplish and why are you doing it? What is your motivation and what are your long-term goals? Who are you serving and how do you plan to do that? You can change your mission over time, but having a mission statement will help guide you when you confront choices and challenges. For an example, check out News Decoder’s mission statement.

    Establish a website. It can be super simple on the easiest and cheapest platform you can find: WordPress, Weebly, Squarespace — there are many. If you haven’t done this before, ask your friends and family to help you. I guarantee you have one friend or cousin or teacher who knows how to do this and can show you how (or do it for you!).

    Give it a name. One of my favorite local news sites is called Redheaded Blackbelt, which Kym Kemp has been publishing near the northern tip of California for almost 20 years. She has red hair and is a black belt. 

    Set up a schedule you think you can handle. If you are serious about this, you should consistently post to the site even if it isn’t every day. You want to build an audience and people need to count on you for information. Also it will help keep you going if you have a set schedule to keep to. You can start with one post a week. 

    Start reporting.

    Find something out that people would find important or interesting. It could be anything from what the local government is planning to do to the opening of a new hardware store. It could be a weird new vegetable showing up at the market. What is totally not interesting to someone in a big city might be just what people will talk about in your town. Think little!

    Learn more about finding and reporting a news story.

    Have fun with it. Snap photos of people’s pets and post them. That’s the first sure-fire way to get people to your site. 

    Learn more about taking engaging photos.

    Develop an ethics policy. This will be important if you become THE source for news in your community. People will want you to write about them, or not write about them, or write about them in a particular way. You need to be able to respond consistently so that it doesn’t look like you favor people or are biased against them. Be honest with yourself: What positions must you take? What positions won’t you take? Will you accept freebies like tickets to attend events and will you promise anything in return?

    Learn more about being an ethical journalist.

    Find out more stuff. How do you do that? Every time you go out, get chatty. Here is the question you ask: What’s happening? Now, when you ask that question, most people automatically say “Nothing.” But that’s because they assume you don’t really care and you are just being polite. So part of being chatty is being nosy and a bit persistent. Observe what is happening around you and notice what seems different. 

    Do this enough and when people see you, you won’t even have to ask. They will suggest all kinds of stories and tell you all kinds of things happening. On the downside, be prepared for people interrupting every conversation with “now, don’t publish this …”

    Note that whenever there is change, no matter how big or small, there is a story behind that change. Someone made a decision to do something. And people tend to like talking about the decisions they made or the actions they took. 

    Now this is important: When you are digging for news, you must tell people that you’ve got this little news site you started and that you want to post about whatever it is you are talking about with them. In a small community, it is super important not to create enemies with your news site (unless you plan to take down corrupt politicians). You want people to be excited you are writing about them. 

    That doesn’t mean that everything you post has to be flattering. It just means that you can’t be sneaky or spiteful or petty with your posts. Treat people with respect and they will respect you. For a local news site to survive you need the support of your local community. 

    Develop a growth strategy.

    Generate word of mouth. Once you begin posting, tell as many people as you can about your site and what you are trying to do. Not only do you want to grow an audience, but the more people who know what you are doing, the more people will tell you stuff that you can report on. When people come to you with news, that’s a lot easier than chasing it down yourself. 

    Recruit help. You can be a one-person shop, but over time that would be exhausting. From day one imagine your publication five years old and then 10 years old. Then imagine yourself doing this for those 10 years. The only way the publication will endure is if you have help all along the way. Look for young people who are looking for experience and old people with too much time on their hands. Find the people you know who are really bored at whatever job they have and want to be part of something interesting and important. Keep an eye out for frustrated writers and amateur photographers, artists and data nerds.

    And find those people who always attend local sporting events who can report on youth games. Just like posting about people’s pets, you will get all kinds of people flocking for news of their kid’s football or basketball games or the games of kids they know. 

    Think of funding sources. You might consider making your site a nonprofit. People would be more likely to offer you unpaid help that way. It would also enable you to ask for money from local funding organizations. If you think you might want to turn this venture into a business, start chatting up local businesses and seeing if they might support you by buying ads on your site. You don’t need to do any of that right away but remember, if you want the site to endure you will likely need to make some money from it to pay yourself and people who help you out on it. 

    Join organizations. With a news site you are both an entrepreneur and journalist, and there are organizations that will help you network and get you mentors and allies. Think about journalism organizations like the Society of Professional Journalists in the United States, the National Union of Journalists in the UK and Ireland and the Confederation of ASEAN Journalists in Southeast Asia. Also consider joining business organizations like the Chamber of Commerce or the Rotary Club. 

    Finally, have an exit strategy. The goal is to build a news site in a news desert so you should want it to last beyond you. There is a good chance you will grow tired of your venture at some point. Who will take it over? Might you be able to sell it at some point? It is never too early to think about these things if you want your news publication to endure. Don’t lose sight of the mission. 

     

    Questions to consider:

    1. What is a “news desert”?

    2. In what way would people in a small town be interested in different things than people in a big city?

    3. If you were to start your own local news site, what types of stories or events would you cover?

     

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  • Top Tips: Take good notes

    Top Tips: Take good notes

    The key to a great news story is a great interview. But all your work getting that interview will be wasted if you don’t have great notes. 

    When I first started out as a journalist, people didn’t always record their interviews. I rarely used a recorder. I found that it did something to my brain. Part of my brain would be worried that the recording wasn’t working. 

    When I became an editor, I found that I could tell when a reporter had used a recorder. The quotes in the story were often too long or too flat — they lacked something, maybe emotion or emphasis. 

    When you interview someone without taping it, you have to listen carefully. There isn’t any backup. And because it is difficult to take down everything someone says word for word, your brain works with your ears and your hand to take down what is most important – the essential facts and details, the emotion, the surprising things someone says. 

    If you have recorded that same interview, you won’t be doing that. You know you have a backup. And when you go back and listen to the recording, something is different. The statements all flatten out and you end up putting in the story what sounds most explanatory or most impressive. In other words, you can’t tell what was most interesting when you were sitting there or on the phone. 

    A recording is not enough.

    These days it is standard practice to record interviews, if for no other reason than we need the audio for podcasts or audio clips. 

    But for a great story and to be a great storyteller you should master the art of notetaking. When doing an interview forget that the recorder is on. Imagine it isn’t working (and it might not be working!) So here are some tips for taking notes: 

    First, don’t try to take down every word. Instead, listen for what is important. 

    “Quotes can be short,” said News Decoder Educational News Director Marcy Burstiner.

    Don’t try to write everything down word for word. It’s OK to paraphrase. Put quote marks only around actual quotes. If you didn’t put quote marks around something in your notes DON’T put the quote marks in your story. 

    Master shorthand.

    Second, create your own system of shorthand.

    Shorthand is a system of writing in a code that allows you to take down words fast and accurately. There are some standard ways of doing that and courses to teach you how. It was developed for stenographers. Before recorders came along, offices employed people to take down dictation. The boss would dictate letters and reports to their secretaries who would then type them up. But you can create your own system of shorthand.

    For example, instead of writing down the person’s name every time they start talking (when you are talking to multiple people at the same time) use their initials. You can also lv out the vwls of common wrds. 

    U can write in text message 4mat b/c that also wrks. I am not a fast writer so I came up with my own system early on in my career. I put ?? when I’m not sure what the person said but I don’t want to interrupt them. I put ** when I want to go back to it to follow up. I circle words or underline them when I sense it is important.

    For something outrageous I write !!

    Take lots and lots of notes.

    Writing down words and ideas cements them in your mind.

    Finally, use a pen and paper. There are a number of reasons to do this. If you are interviewing someone in person and you try to take your notes on a laptop or tablet, your head will be down half the time and you can’t circle stuff easily. 

    Second, there is some science behind the notion that we retain information better when we write things down hand to paper. 

    As a journalist, I was a messy note taker. That piece of paper in the photo image at the top of the story is an actual page of notes I once took. If I had time before I had to submit my article I would take the effort to type my notes onto a Word or Google Doc. Later I fell in love with spreadsheeting and would type my notes into a Google Spreadsheet, which would allow me to match up information with information from other interviews and sort them. This became handy when I was doing a story that involved a lot of interviews and complicated information. 

    When going to interviews I sometimes forgot a notepad and would have to grab paper anyway I could. I’ve taken notes in the margins of flyers and brochures and on the backside of stuff I got in the mail.

    But the best practice is to always keep a notepad on you, just as photographers always keep a camera on them. 

    Finally, when you are ready to start writing, write from your notes first before going to the recording. Use the recording to make sure you got your quotes right and that you paraphrased what the person said correctly. Trust that your brain and your ears and your hand will have taken down the best information and the most engaging quotes. 

    Questions to consider:

    1. Why take notes if you are recording an interview?

    2. What is the difference between quoting someone and paraphrasing something they said?

    3. How good a notetaker are you?

     

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  • Top Tips: Are your sources reliable?

    Top Tips: Are your sources reliable?

    As a reporter you’re only as good as your sources. That’s why it is important, when doing a news story, to choose sources who are knowledgeable. That’s the advice from investigative journalist Matt Drange. 

    As a reporter, Drange doesn’t report his own thoughts and feelings. Instead, he reports the news based on what he can verify from multiple sources.

    Drange has written stories for ProPublica, Forbes Magazine, the Center for Investigative Reporting, the Guardian and Business Insider. 

    He said that when researching a story and looking for interviews, you should evaluate whether potential sources are reliable. This is critical in this age where so much disinformation is distributed. Just because someone says something and just because someone has a fancy title doesn’t mean they will give you good information.

    “These days the internet makes finding and accessing information easy,” Drange said. “But just because someone says something, doesn’t make it true or worthwhile for you to report in a journalistic article.”

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  • Cross platforms to reach a wider audience

    Cross platforms to reach a wider audience

    In telling the story across different platforms, the important thing is to think about who you tell the story to. Imagine talking to them in person. You wouldn’t drone on with facts and data, you would get to what your story is really about.

    The great thing is that in publishing across platforms through different types of media, you don’t need fancy equipment or fancy sound or video editing techniques.

    Instead, the people who know how to do all that often go out of their way to make things look more raw, because raw looks more authentic and authentic is what many media consumers value.

    You can even use an AI program to help you create images, but make sure you tell your audience that you did that. In telling true stories you don’t want to mislead or misinform.

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  • Can you make your podcast sound great?

    Can you make your podcast sound great?

    Emotion and identity

    The third layer gives a podcast emotion and the three elements, together, make the sound of a podcast, he said. 

    “So, it’s not just music,” he said. “These three elements move together during the narration.”

    The goal is to combine music and sound effects to create a “rhythm of narration.” After an important word, he might create a pause and in it increase the music. After that, come sound effects.  

    Caminero wanted to know what Micheli considers when creating music to give a podcast emotion and identity. Micheli said that an important part of the process is to re-listen to what you have done to try to create consistent sound.

    “It’s very important because we spend a lot of time on the timeline,” he said. “We work a lot in depth on the details, but at a certain point you have to change your position and change your mind and you have to become not a creator, you have to become a listener.”

    You don’t always need to create original music for your podcast soundtrack. Micheli suggests combining original music with music you can find in a sound library, but note that it isn’t easy. “It is quite a job to find the right music, right sound in this gigantic archive and match together original music and other music,” he said. “I think it’s the best way for creating the sound for a podcast.”

    Creating original music makes the most sense for podcasts that are documentaries or fiction, Micheli said. But most important is that the podcast must have a good story and script first. 

     

    Questions to consider:

    1. What does Micheli mean by a “rhythm of narration”?

    2. How can you add great sound to a podcast if you can’t compose music yourself?

    3. If you were to create a podcast series what would it be about and what kind of sound would you use?

     

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  • Can the information you share be trusted?

    Can the information you share be trusted?

    “If you see that a person has lied in the past you should carefully consider whether it is a good idea to trust them,” Jonas said. 

    3. Find other sources that seem to be reporting the same thing.

    “Sometimes you will find that different sources interpret the same event very differently,” Jonas said. “Think about which sources you should trust more.”

    Information in research articles, journalistic publications or academic experts and institutions are generally more reliable than blog contributors or social media posts, Jonas said. 

    Be a bit skeptical, too, she said, when a publication or podcast or post seems to mix information with emotion and see if you can separate out factual reporting with opinion.

    Incorporating this healthy skepticism and adopting a system for verifying information will help you build a reputation for credibility and reliability. This is useful not just in your reporting, Jonas said, but in your daily life, as well. 

     

    Questions to consider:

    1. What is meant by a system of verification?

    2. Why should you check for information about the author of an article or post you read?

    3. How can a healthy skepticism be useful in your daily life?

     

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  • Top Tips: Make your voice heard

    Top Tips: Make your voice heard

    Do you feel like the media doesn’t represent you? Are you aware of certain tropes that you disagree with and know from first-hand experience?

    Then use your voice. To show you how, Charis McGowan, a freelance journalist who has worked for the Guardian, the BBC and Al Jazeera and was an editor at gal-dem, a magazine for women and non-binary people of color, shares some tips that will help you effectively get your opinions across in an article. 

    McGowan offered her ideas as part of News Decoder’s partner project Mobile Stories. Mobile Stories is a publishing tool for young people. It provides guidance on how to create trustworthy news content while upholding journalist ethics. You can watch a video of McGowan explaining her ideas at the end of this article.

    McGowan said you first need to distinguish between a news story and an opinion article. “A news story is about your subjects, you don’t have to use the word ‘I’ at all, you’ll actually just keep your voice neutral,” McGowan said. “But an opinion article is totally different, you have to use your voice and your perspective.”

    You might comment on the news, but then you’ll tell readers how you relate to that particular piece of news. “This could be based on your ethnicity, your sexual orientation, where you live and your expertise, opinion,” McGowan said. 

    Articles by journalists differ from opinions you see in comments on social media. People who post comments might be spouting off the bat or using their initial gut reaction. “Opinion writers actually have to research what they’re talking about,” McGowan said. “That means looking at articles that perhaps they’ve not written and drawing on data and looking at really credible and trustworthy sources.”

    Opinions and expertise

    That’s what Alexa Taras did when she wrote an article News Decoder published in May 2025. Taras, a student at The Hewitt School in New York City, was concerned about the increasing number of schools around the country that were agreeing to pull books out of libraries and classrooms after parental complaints about the topics.

    She researched news stories to find actual incidents and interviewed a book publisher and an author. Only then did she include her own perspective:

    “As a current student and aspiring writer, I fear that in the future I will be creating books that cannot exist in the educational system,” Taras wrote. “Students deserve the right to learn about history no matter how violent or scary. How can we inspire students to be the best they can, if their education has been censored to only learn about ‘safe’ topics? Education should not be limited.”

    If you have an idea about something happening in the news that you think is worth exploring, McGowan provides some tips on writing an opinion piece that is both fact-based and persuasive.

    1. Write about what you know and what you are passionate about.

    This could be anything from pop culture to politics. McGowan wrote an opinion piece, for example, on an Ed Sheeran song. “He was using Caribbean slang in his lyrics and it made me feel a bit uneasy, so I delved into to my sense of unease.” McGowan asked: Was it okay for a white English man to be using this type of language? “My dad is from the Caribbean and my grandparents still speak with this type of language so it just made me feel a bit weird.”

    McGowan delved into matters of appropriation and the colonization of language to base the arguments on why Sheeran shouldn’t be doing that. “I had my opinion and I had previous work to draw on so that’s all I needed to start writing.”

    2. Research what’s been said on the topic already.

    After you’ve explored what other people have written about the topic, then think about your unique angle and draw on your voice.

    3. Bring in the news.

    Go back to what you read or saw or heard that got you thinking about this in the first place. “Signal your reaction to it straight away,” McGowan said.

    4. Back up your opinion.

    Use research data, facts and figures and other articles. “Make sure that you always cite trustworthy sources of information,” McGowan said.

    5. Round up your article in a clear and memorable way.

     Sometimes, McGowan said, the last sentence is the most important.

    Watch Charis McGowan’s video here:

    Learn more about the Mobile Stories project here. Co-funded by the European Union.

     

    Questions to consider:

    1. How does an opinion article differ from comments people make on social media?

    2. What do you need in an article to make it “persuasive”?

    3. What is a topic you are knowledgeable and passionate about?

     

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  • Top Tips: Take photos that stand out

    Top Tips: Take photos that stand out

    You want to know what it’s like being a photojournalist? Do you need to take photos to illustrate an article for school publication? We asked Simone Åbacka, a photojournalist for Vasabladet in Finland, to tell us how to get inspired and make sure your photos stand out.

    “Photos nowadays are quick and easy to make, but to get a picture that really captures your audience and the viewer, that will require a bit more from you as a photographer,” Åbacka said.

    She said that photojournalists have to be out where the action is, she said.

    “So if you’re interested in a certain person, you can follow them along for a day or find a street market or a protest or something happening in your area,” Åbacka said. “So look for something that interests you and go and shoot that.”

    When you have already done a story or you are asked to provide photos for a story that has already been done, try taking a photo yourself instead of trying to find one online.

    If the story is about traffic jams, for example, go out and take a photo of the chaos and the moving cars.

    “You want your photos to get attention and be seen,” she said.

    Åbacka’s five tips for stand out photos

             1. Move around and try different kinds of angles.

    2. Look for emotion

    3. Look for good lighting

    4. Use your environment to tell viewers more about the subject

    5. Use a clean background for your subject.

    You don’t need a professional camera to take stunning photos, a phone will do. But know its limits, Åbacka said. “It can’t do everything,” she said.

    This video was produced as part of News Decoder’s partner project Mobile Stories. Mobile Stories is a publishing tool for young people. It provides guidance on how to create trustworthy news content while upholding journalist ethics.

    Watch Simone Åbacka’s video here: 

    At News Decoder, our editors, educators and correspondents guide students through the journalistic writing process to help them get a first-hand understanding of big global issues and connect across borders. From finding a story to interviewing to editing, we work closely with students to develop their skills using our Pitch-Report-Draft-Revise technique. Student stories are published on our website, social media and in our Educators’ Catalog alongside the work of professional journalists and industry experts.

    If you’re an educator looking to engage your students in media literacy programmes, a teacher in need of interesting resources or a writer looking for an outlet, find out more and get in touch at news-decoder.com

    Questions to consider:

    1. Why would a photo you take be better than one you can find online?

    2. What kind of emotion could you capture in a photograph?

    3. How can you use your environment to tell viewers more about the subject?

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  • Top Tips: To err is human

    Top Tips: To err is human

    Everyone makes mistakes. To be credible you have to fess up when you get things wrong. Doing so doesn’t make you look bad. It shows you care about the truth.

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