Writing should not tie you up in knots. It is no more formal than speaking. Write as you would speak. Think of writing as speaking on paper. (Courtesy of Lansing Community College Library) Two authors taught me how to write. One was British civil servant Sir Ernest...
Society shuns some art as disgusting. I’m tackling false conceptions about what is creative while training Africa’s new generation of artists. A project that I’ve started called AmaArts aims to cultivate and train the next generation of African...
Writing poetry helps 14-year-old Jaeda Liddell handle pent-up emotions. She gives voice to the anxieties and concerns of an entire generation. This article, by high school student Jaeda Liddell, was produced out of News Decoder’s school partnership program. Jaeda is...
Social media influencers from Europe and North America are flocking to South Korea’s capital, Seoul, to tap into the K-pop craze and boost earnings. Banners featuring Jimin, a member of South Korean K-pop band BTS, are displayed in Busan, South Korea, 12 October...
English may be the world’s lingua franca, but it can be full of bias. The words we choose can make us better global citizens — or destroy understanding. The Tower of Babel, by Pieter Brueghel the Elder (Wikimedia Commons) “Language is the road map of a...
Global events are often reported from a U.S.-centric or Europe-centric perspective. Articles from the United States are peppered with analogies from baseball or American football, or are derived from a history of slavery. Stories from British papers often include language from colonial times. Correspondent Jeremy Solomons teaches us that to be a good global citizen, we need to take a look at the words we use and make sure they can be understood and accepted by people in different regions and from different demographics. Solomons shows us what it means to develop a global mindset.
Exercise: Solomons provides examples of words that might be problematic on a global level, such as “break a leg” and “come out of left field.” Can your students think of expressions that are unique to their country or region, and can they find a way to say the same thing in ways that might be better understood by someone from a different country and culture?
Last month we offered a list of books for aspiring journalists. Now, here’s a selection of films all news journalism buffs should see. After compiling a list of books for aspiring journalists, I was curious about other media forms that could inspire young people...
COVID-19 has given media firms in Africa a chance to create TV shows that teach science to children and challenge outdated gender norms. (Photo courtesy of N*Gen) COVID-19 lockdowns put the brakes on learning for children across Africa and around the world. It also...
COVID-19 has kept many students around the world at home, setting back their intellectual development despite efforts to pivot to virtual learning. In Africa, creators using media to educate youth have taken advantage of the situation and a widespread lack of Wi-Fi to create TV shows that teach children about science and sexual health while challenging gender stereotypes. Correspondent Susanne Courtney has spoken to experts in science and entertainment to explore a silver lining in the otherwise dire pandemic.
Exercise: Ask your students to identify a positive outcome in their community stemming from the coronavirus pandemic. It could be a business that took advantage of the situation to pivot or increase sales, or new investments in hitherto neglected areas.
Coffee is more than a beverage in the Italian city of Trieste. Over centuries, the commodity enriched the port, where cafés are ‘places of the soul.’ Examining coffee beans at Caffè San Marco in Trieste, Italy (photo by Tira Shubart) Grabbing a coffee is...
News Decoder’s correspondents have covered the world’s biggest stories over decades. Here are books they suggest would-be journalists should read. “Books to read for aspiring journalists” I was looking for publications that would help me, as well as...
Drugs, self-harm and sex are its staples. Is the prize-winning U.S. TV show ‘Euphoria’ a threat to impressionable youth? If so, what to do? Cast members of the U.S. TV drama series “Euphoria,” in Los Angeles, California, 4 June 2019 (Photo by...