Africa is often misrepresented in the media as a poverty-stricken safari-land. Who benefits from such stereotypes? How can we reshape the image? Outsiders and Africans themselves often resort to stereotypes to represent the continent — wild animals, jungles and...
A viral campaign on Instagram meant to empower women has its recent roots in a bleak reality familiar to women who are victims of violence in Turkey. Women march in support of the Istanbul Convention on preventing violence against women, Istanbul, Turkey, 19 July...
Jews were blamed by some for spreading the Black Death plague in the Middle Ages. Now, incidents of antisemitism are on the rise during COVID-19. Only the word “masks” can still be read from an inscription that was formerly “Jews = mask...
Sports are emerging from the wreckage of a year of disruption not seen in 75 years. With COVID-19 still a threat, uncertainty and frustration prevail. Slovenia’s Primoz Roglic, center, wears a face mask before the start of the first stage of the Tour de France...
They’ve been around for a long time and flourish in a crisis. Conspiracy theories may seem absurd and harmless to some — but they can do damage. Activists demonstrate against 4G/5G cell towers in Los Angeles, California, 2 May 2020. (AP Photo/Damian...
Like fake news, conspiracy theories abound in today’s polarized political world. Sarah Edmonds shows that they have been around for a long time and thrive in times of crisis such as the coronavirus pandemic. In an age when facts and science are under attack, how can a student know what to believe in? Should we simply dismiss those who perpetrate conspiracy theories — or engage with them? Edmonds interviewed numerous experts for her article and skilfully weaved in their quotes — a good example for student writers. Teachers of subjects from Science to Politics can use Edmonds’s story to encourage students to suspend their prejudices and push themselves to see contrasting viewpoints.
Donald Trump has scored few foreign policy wins with his transactional approach. A peace deal between Israel and the UAE is a feather in his cap. U.S. President Donald Trump announces a peace agreement between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, Washington, DC , 13...
When I arrived in Hong Kong half a century ago, it was just starting its explosive growth. Now it’s caught again in the middle of a big-power dispute. Before Hong Kong’s old airport closed in 1998, it had just one runway, and airliners used to skim low...
The Uighurs are not the only ethnic minority in China. Beijing’s repressive tactics reflect fears a separatist movement could threaten the state. Uighurs in Hotan, northwest China’s Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region, 6 April 2008 (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko) Last...
South Asia is no stranger to political dynasties. Sri Lanka’s ruling family is prompting worries about human rights and ethnic tensions. Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa (L) and his younger brother, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, in Colombo, Sri Lanka, 9...
Once ruled with an iron fist by a dictator, oil-rich Libya is now ravaged by war. With foreign powers meddling, a political solution is badly needed. A sniper fires towards Islamic State militant positions in Sirte, Libya, 21 September 2016. (AP Photo/Manu Brabo)...
The author, Marouane El Bahraoui, is a Student Ambassador at the African Leadership Academy, a News Decoder partner school. He spent seven months researching Libya, working closely with News Decoder editors to sharpen his focus and add authority to his reporting. What started as an incipient interest in the North African country matured into a nuanced view of a highly complex geopolitical situation. El Bahraoui’s story caught the admiring eye of the U.S. ambassador to Libya, who contacted the young author to chat about Libya and Morocco, El Bahraoui’s home country. “Who thought that a U.S. ambassador would read my article?” El Bahraoui said. This story shows the kind of potent reporting that a determined and curious student in our network can produce for a global audience.