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.

COMMUNITY

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

Curtis Chin grew up in a Chinese restaurant. He’s on a 300-city tour to save others.

French women flock to Gisèle Pelicot rape trial, ‘to show her that she’s not alone’

‘Circling the drain.’ How one Georgia veteran fought off homelessness.

Podcast: Why We Wrote This

‘A bridge to humanity’: Behind a Monitor series on an underreported story

How a Sudanese refugee in Uganda is keeping his homeland alive through food

‘They are our people’: How community kitchens are piecing Sudan back together

COMPASSION

An unselfish love that embraces others.

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.

Ukraine’s Pokrovsk was about to fall to Russia 2 months ago. It’s hanging on.

Podcast: Why We Wrote This

Fluency, curiosity, and a bike: Letting Taiwan tell its own story

Georgia unveiled a statue of John Lewis. It stands on symbolic ground.

A different gold medal – for gentile diplomats who quietly saved Jews

Cover Story

The Olympic spirit: 7 athletes share tales of grit and sacrifice

Commentary

For Martin Luther King Jr., the conversation on political violence was very different

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.

Podcast: Why We Wrote This

Feast mode: Our food writer serves up a complicated holiday’s history and hits

The Monitor's View

The delights of US democracy

As summer wanes, I'm chasing flickers of nostalgia by the campfire

He sought asylum. She was seeking to help. Friday, he graduated from law school.

Kharkiv hails Biden’s OK to strike inside Russia: ‘We’ve been waiting’

The Monitor's View

Gratitude as a global change agent

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.

Ukraine’s jittery new reality: ‘Work with Trump and hope for the best’

UN schools in Gaza shaped our reporter’s childhood. She worries for the future.

A journalist recounts his daughter’s miraculous birth in war-torn Sudan

Podcast: Why We Wrote This

‘Sharing the human stories’: What keeps our Gazan reporter going

The Monitor's View

Roots of Mexico’s confidence against crime

From the Editors

After October 7, where do Israel and Gaza look for hope? History shows a way forward.

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.

The Monitor's View

A questionable pardon’s deeper resonance

Amid Gaza food shortages, ICC issues arrest warrant for Netanyahu

Loggers were stealing the forest. These women started stealing their chain saws.

50 years ago, the UK expelled Chagos Islanders. A court ruling may mean they can go home.

An unwanted kiss shook Spanish soccer – and society. A new documentary explores why.

The Explainer

Transgender rights, ghost guns – and an election? The Supreme Court returns.

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.

In the race to attract students, historically Black colleges sprint out front

Intel is coming. Ohio community colleges say the state’s workers will be ready.

Harris and Trump spar over economic impact of taxes and tariffs

What a Tunisian exodus says about the future of global migration

How an overlooked county landed the new FBI headquarters and tech jobs

Massachusetts needs more workers. Enter free community college.

RESILIENCE

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

The Monitor's View

South Korea’s swift rescue of freedom

In wartime Gaza, turning meager olive harvest into oil is an act of defiance

Howard University hoped to make history. Now it’s ready for a different role.

Cover Story

Women in construction find solidarity as ‘sisters in the brotherhood’

Ukraine’s Pokrovsk was about to fall to Russia 2 months ago. It’s hanging on.

Amid costly war with Israel, Hezbollah faces fire from its own supporters

RESPECT

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

Where Nazis first won office, Germans are voting for right-wing extremists

The Monitor's View

Of dogs and din

Podcast: Why We Wrote This

Feast mode: Our food writer serves up a complicated holiday’s history and hits

Podcast: Why We Wrote This

How to move past ‘othering,’ and toward mutual respect

The Monitor's View

The election’s other message

Podcast: Why We Wrote This

‘Sharing the human stories’: What keeps our Gazan reporter going

RESPONSIBILITY

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

What’s engaging these high schoolers? Classes about the election.

In a gun-friendly state, parental liability looms following school shooting

Podcast: Why We Wrote This

On a music festival stage, our writer found folk’s deepest-diving scholar

Podcast: Why We Wrote This

Drug decriminalization: A shift from side-taking to solutions

US weapons help Ukraine advance. Will concerns about corruption put that at risk?

Biden’s pullout marks the end of an American era

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.

Points of Progress

Saving lives with reduced pollution, fewer pesticides, and less worker exploitation

When Hezbollah rockets are incoming, and you can’t reach the shelter

In Israel-Hezbollah war, a rising cry from Lebanese: Why were we bombed?

Under deadly Israeli siege, north Gaza residents face terrifying ultimatum

Slow and small, drones find cracks in Israel’s high-tech air defenses

The Philippines has held out on legalizing divorce. Is it set to call it quits?

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.