Last week, we at the Monitor got fresh perspective on world news when 25 journalists from around the globe dropped by our offices. We all face vastly different demands – and some of the same ones, too. As we all talked, what rose to the top was a shared yearning for journalism that reaches deeper than most of what we see out there in the United States and elsewhere.

The journalists were here as part of a State Department program and hailed from countries in Asia, the Middle East, Africa, Europe, and Latin America. Broadcast journalism and new technology were a focus. But what engaged them most, whether they were from Paraguay or Libya or Singapore, was the discussion around the kind of journalism we value: the kind that aims to present various points of view fairly, that embraces the whole world and its humanity, that covers stories others neglect, that surfaces solutions and cares about justice. One woman asked correspondent Dominique Soguel, who joined the meeting by video and had just returned from reporting challenging stories in war-torn Syria, about how to handle personal and emotional involvement in a story. Others noted the long-term commitment to this kind of journalism: “You’ve been doing this for more than 100 years. How?”

Journalists are an individualistic bunch. But in a room filled with so many different datelines, there was so much common ground. It was reassuring to know of journalists around the world committed to traveling on this road – one we hope you’ll keep walking with all of us.

Now to our five stories, which delve into the importance of fresh thinking about entrenched problems, integrity in politics, and avoiding stereotypes in how you portray the world.