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Can You Explain It?

Sometimes, news stories cover specialized topics that require background knowledge the average reader might not have. For this type of story, a journalist might write an explainer article. An explainer provides what readers need to know about a complex topic. The goal is to be simple and thorough.

One approach is to ask the big questions about a subject and then answer them. A good explainer provides the essential information readers need to understand the news.

Junior Journalists, we want to know: Can you explain it? Is there a topic you know a lot about? What are the big questions a newcomer would ask about this topic? Can you answer them? Why is the topic important? Ask a teacher, parent, or guardian to share your story with us at timeforkids.com/tfkpressclub or tfkpressclub@time.com.