News & Values

Behind every news event are the values that drive people and nations. See how they offer a deeper, clearer understanding of the latest stories, or sort through all our stories by the different values beneath them.

LATEST STORIES
BALANCE

The effort to find a harmony between extremes, not to avoid confrontation or make bold ideas blander or more palatable.

Podcast: Why We Wrote This

Why a climate scientist’s moment of truth became a complicated story to report

Kids as cooks and dog walkers? How one elementary school encourages independence.

No Caitlin Clark? How US Olympic basketball teams are chosen.

The Monitor's View

A jury’s calm reasoning

South Africans head to polls. After 30 years, has Mandela’s party lost its luster?

More companies embrace on-site child care. What that means for working parents.

COMMUNITY

The coming together of individuals or groups to form bonds of fellowship that strengthen and enrich themselves and those around them.

Scottish identity is in. Scotland’s nationalist party is (likely) out. Why the disparity?

In Gambia, a youthful country grapples with how to care for its elders

Podcast: Why We Wrote This

A big city. A big drop in murders. Our reporter wanted to know why.

With free laundry and salsa classes, Bogotá tries to care for its unpaid caregivers

Near Ukraine war’s front lines, threatened villages try to build a future

Germans can now be dual citizens. But will society treat them like they belong?

COMPASSION

An unselfish love that embraces others.

Families in a rural Texas town adopted 77 children. This couple led the way.

The Soviets stifled volunteerism in Russia. Torrential flooding may be reviving it.

Amid isolation over Gaza, Israelis grapple with ‘becoming outcasts’

Some Ukrainian soldiers are struggling with a personal foe: gambling addiction

How doulas and cafes help people break the last taboo – talking about death

Sam Schultz: A heart for service on the US-Mexico border

COOPERATION

The effort to work together, respecting the diverse strengths and views in others.

COURAGE

The honest struggle to overcome fear and suffering from a desire to do right. Hatred and anger are not courage.

A Civil War hero got a new statue. Her name is Harriet Tubman.

Difference Maker

For this housewife-turned-commander, the Ukrainian battlefield is the place to be

Islamists target northern Mozambique – especially the children

Taiwan protesters meet China’s intimidation with defiance

Podcast: Why We Wrote This

A ‘disproportionate toll’: A woman of Gaza on what Gaza’s women face

This journalist exposed corruption in the Malawian army. Now he’s on the run.

CREATIVITY

The application of inventiveness, originality, and imagination to address a problem or produce something fresh.

DIGNITY

An inherent quality or worth that cannot be degraded.

EQUALITY

The effort to ensure everyone has the same opportunity to thrive and be treated with respect.

FAIRNESS

The effort to base decisions and judgments on impartial fact and proof without bias toward one group or viewpoint.

FORGIVENESS

An overcoming of resentment or a desire for vengeance in the face of injustice. It never excuses wrong behavior.

FREEDOM

The unhindered expression of universal rights, qualities, and dignity. Freedom expands rights rather than pitting one against another.

GENEROSITY

An expression of compassion that gives of one’s own gifts – a sharing of abundance or charity despite hardship.

GRATITUDE

The deep recognition or appreciation of goodness or generosity in others.

HONESTY

A commitment to truth that challenges oneself and others to look at issues deeply, without deceit or bias.

HOPE

The earnest expectation of good, no matter the circumstances.

How a reformist connected with Iranians and inspired enough to vote

Near Ukraine war’s front lines, threatened villages try to build a future

In Pokrovsk, Ukraine, a rose is a rose – and a sign of resilience and hope

Where the wildflowers grow ... in a Ukrainian war zone

Disempowered but not discouraged, Kashmiris vote in record numbers

Difference Maker

Vocational restaurants in Laos cook up a brighter future for young people

HUMILITY

Free from pride or arrogance; not impotent or subservient.

INNOVATION

The search for new ways to find solutions and discoveries.

INTEGRITY

The commitment to acting honestly and according to high principles of compassion, responsibility, and fairness.

JOY

A happiness whose genuineness and radiance brightens others.

JUSTICE

The effort to ensure the fair and moral treatment of everyone. Honesty and reformation create the conditions for restoration.

Commentary

As the Civil Rights Act turns 60, a call to recommit to what it stands for

The Monitor's View

Baseball steps up to a unifying plate

ICC prosecutor angers Israel, Hamas, but will that impact the war?

Difference Maker

Her father was unfairly arrested in Nigeria. Now her nonprofit fights for others.

The Monitor's View

Modeling equality for Syrian justice

Texas SB4 could upend 100 years of US immigration law by empowering states

PEACE

The calm achieved in the struggle to overcome strife or find personal meaning. It is not achieved merely through force or avoidance.

PROSPERITY

The thriving of people or communities. It can involve monetary wealth but points more deeply to well-being.

Economic signals are blinking green. Why Americans are still seeing red.

These English PhDs helped train Google’s AI bot. Here’s what they think about it now.

The end of globalization? US protectionism points to a shift.

How a lethal Ukrainian sea drone is protecting the global food supply

The Monitor's View

Indonesia’s leap into good governance

As NCAA and Olympics start paying athletes, what happens to the amateur ideal?

RESILIENCE

The strength expressed by people and communities in recovering from difficulties. It involves victories – small or large – amid adversity.

Immigrant stories of the American dream

4 ATMs, 2 million people: Cash crunch compounds Gaza’s wartime woes

Many Israelis are resigned to war with Hezbollah. Are they prepared?

Near Ukraine war’s front lines, threatened villages try to build a future

How Lebanese escape Hezbollah-Israel fight, a war beyond their control

The Monitor's View

Safe learning for children in war zones

RESPECT

An appreciation for others’ efforts or principles that promotes cooperation instead of anger or distrust. It does not excuse wrongdoing.

The Monitor's View

Ballots for kinder politics

Podcast: Why We Wrote This

It’s much bigger than Caitlin Clark: Our writer tallies women’s recent gains

Working-class ‘red wall’ voters decided the last UK election. How do they feel now?

The Paralympics are coming to Paris. Will Paralympians be able to get around?

On Ukraine’s battlefields, this group respects fallen soldiers – no matter which side

Podcast: Why We Wrote This

For Harlem, can a renaissance remembered also be revived?

RESPONSIBILITY

Fulfilling a duty to act from high motives, with due consideration for the care of oneself and others.

Hamas believes it has won. Why it now wants to unburden itself of Gaza.

If the far right wins France’s elections, what would that actually mean?

Difference Maker

For this housewife-turned-commander, the Ukrainian battlefield is the place to be

Did Israeli leaders undermine military in Gaza? A rift becomes public.

Young Poles led a political revolution. Now they need to learn patience.

Charting the rise of plastic pollution – and solutions

SAFETY

The belonging and freedom from fear that come with peace and trust. Safety strengthens as it expands, not harming one at the expense of another.

‘Our children would not be dead.’ Why these moms are advocating for safe drugs.

Stick, meet Carrot. How Portland police and activists teamed up to fight addiction.

How Lebanese escape Hezbollah-Israel fight, a war beyond their control

‘This is not our war.’ Lebanese Christians caught between Hezbollah and Israel.

Why Israeli relief over hostages’ rescue from Gaza was short-lived

Jail time for leaving gun in an unlocked car? Cities nudge states on firearm laws.

TRANSFORMATION

A change driven by an honest desire to improve, which gives fresh strength and purpose.

TRUST

Hope and confidence in a relationship that has demonstrated mutual respect.

Extreme weather and inflation spur perfect storm for home insurance

In UK, can Starmer make landslide majority a force for healing?

Podcast: Why We Wrote This

Why a climate scientist’s moment of truth became a complicated story to report

Stick, meet Carrot. How Portland police and activists teamed up to fight addiction.

Two-thirds of Parliament from a third of the votes: Are British elections out of whack?

They’ve beaten the far right. Now French parties need to learn to govern together.