 | This article possibly contains original research .(January 2024) |
Solutions journalism is an approach to news reporting that focuses on the responses to social issues as well as the problems themselves. Solutions stories, anchored in credible evidence, explain how and why responses are working, or not working. The goal of this journalistic approach is to present people with a truer, more complete view of these issues, helping to drive more effective citizenship.
Solutions journalism is rigorous, evidence-based reporting on the responses to social problems. Solutions stories can take many forms, but they share several key characteristics. They identify the root causes of a social problem; prominently highlight a response, or responses, to that problem; present evidence of the impact of that response; and explain how and why the response is working, or not working. When possible, solutions stories also present an insight that helps people better understand how complex systems work, and how they can be improved.
Proponents of solutions journalism distinguish the approach from so-called "good news" reporting, which can be characterized by a superficial presentation of a response without careful analysis or examination of whether the response is effective. Solutions stories assess responses that are working today, as opposed to untested theories—and they tend to place more emphasis on the innovation than on a person or institution responsible for that innovation.
Solutions journalism supporters believe that it provides important feedback that allows society to see credible possibilities and respond more successfully to emerging challenges. Compelling reporting about responses to social problems, they say, can strengthen society by increasing the circulation of knowledge necessary for citizens to engage powerfully with issues in their communities, and for communities, leaders, innovators, and philanthropists are to make appropriate, informed decisions on policies and investments.
Simply reporting on problems, some research shows, can reduce citizens' sense of efficacy, leading them to disengage from public life. In a 2008 study, the Associated Press found that young people were tired of news, which they perceived as being negative and lacking resolution. [1] This resulted in "news fatigue", in which people tended to tune out from news media rather than engage. [2] Solutions journalism posits that reporting on ways that problems are being addressed can increase engagement among audiences, enhances a sense of efficacy, and fosters constructive discourse around controversial issues.
Solutions journalism practitioners say the approach augments and complements the press' traditional watchdog role, presenting citizens with a more complete view of issues. In addition, they say, it can enhance the impact of investigative reporting, by presenting evidence that entrenched problems can, in fact, be solved. [3]
Proponents of solutions journalism distinguish the practice from civic journalism, a movement that gained some momentum in the United States in the 1990s by advocating for a more active role for journalism in the democratic process.
As early as 1998, journalists noted the emergence of a new kind of journalism that examined what people and institutions were doing to address social problems. Some journalism critics observed that the governing assumptions of traditional journalism—anchored in the belief that a reporter's job is to expose wrongdoing [4] —might not be universally valid. [5] Simply reporting on problems, it began to appear, might not be the cure to all the world's social woes.
Other forms of journalism have similarly responded to a perceived excess of negativity in news media. Civic journalism, which gained some momentum in the United States in the 1990s, seeks to engage readers in public discourse in order to encourage active participation in the democratic process and catalyze change. [6] Solutions journalism is also related to similar journalistic styles that have been practiced outside the United States, including "constructive journalism", which originated in Denmark.
In 2003, the French NGO Reporters d'Espoirs, [7] (Reporters of Hope) is created as a network of journalists and media professionals who want to "promote solutions-based news in the media". The organization is officially launched at UNESCO in 2004 with the Reporters d'Espoirs Awards. They promote the concept of "info-solution" and "journalisme de solutions", working with all kind of media to spread initiatives among the general public. Over the years, they demonstrated solutions-based editorial lines -with newspapers like Libération, Ouest-France, TV programs like TF1- generate audiences and interest among citizens.
Worldchanging, an online magazine founded in 2003, declared its approach to reporting on and debating environmental issues to be based in the coverage of solutions.
The Tyee, a Canadian news site founded by David Beers in 2003, [8] includes a Solutions section. In 2006 The Tyee created Solutions Reporting Fellowships, [9] raising money from readers to fund freelance journalist projects. An independent panel selected recipients until the program ended in 2013. In 2009 Beers and Tyee business director Michelle Hoar created the non-profit Tyee Solutions Society, [10] which produces solutions journalism series published in The Tyee and with other media. [11]
In the beginning of 2010, Robert Costanza, David Orr, Ida Kubiszewski and others, launched Solutions, [12] a non-profit print and online publication devoted to showcasing ideas for solving the world's integrated ecological, social, and economic problems. Solutions' rule of thumb for all articles is no more than one-third of the paper should describe the problem, while at least two-thirds should be devoted to solutions. Over the years, as readership has steadily increased, Solutions has formed partnership with organizations around the world, including 350.org, Club of Rome, David Suzuki Foundation, National Policy Consensus Center (NPCC), US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Seventh Generation, Inc., Stockholm Resilience Centre, World Future Council, and many others.
In 2010, journalists David Bornstein and Tina Rosenberg also created the "Fixes" column for The New York Times' Opinionator section. "Fixes" is a weekly, deeply reported examination of the response to an urgent social problem. Reader response to "Fixes" has been strong, leading Bornstein and Rosenberg, with journalist Courtney Martin, to co-found the Solutions Journalism Network, an independent, non-profit organization with a mission to make solutions journalism a part of mainstream practice in news. [13]
Solutions journalism in Ukraine was firstly used as a ground approach in the Rubryka online media. It became the first Ukrainian media which actively develops this approach and is openly positioning itself as a solutions media since 2020. [14] [15] Rubryka was founded in 2018 by Anastasia Rudenko, a Ukrainian journalist, as a socio-political online media with an emphasis on the topics of ecology, urbanism and women's rights. [16] [17]
Journalists and readers sometimes respond negatively to the solutions approach. One common criticism is that solutions journalism easily devolves into "feel-good" storytelling or hero worship, rather than critically examining important issues in society. [18] In fact, some news organizations have created specific sections to highlight upbeat "good news", [19] which can help generate advertiser or sponsor revenue. [20] Proponents of solutions journalism argue that such stories do not represent rigorous, evidence-based reporting.
Critics of solutions journalism also have voiced concerns regarding potential bias and advocacy. There is a fine line, they suggest, between reporting on responses and actually advocating on their behalf. Solutions journalism supporters respond that an evidence-based approach to reporting diminishes the risk of bias, and that solutions stories should not be connected to a "call to action" for readers.
Others worry that many complex social issues do not have clear causes or clear solutions. [21] This may require reporters pursuing solutions stories to have considerable expertise in a subject area—and, even then, some believe that the resulting stories will inevitably be too simplistic relative to the reality of a systemic problem.
The Solutions Journalism Network works, it says, "to legitimize and spread the practice of solutions journalism: rigorous and compelling reporting about responses to social problems". [22] To achieve its mission, SJN works with journalists in a variety of ways to build awareness and the practice of solutions reporting. The Solutions Journalism Network has collaborated with numerous news organizations in the United States, including The Seattle Times, The Christian Science Monitor, The Boston Globe, PRI's "The World," and the Center for Investigative Reporting, to produce solutions-oriented reporting projects. Positivas based in Argentina is the first BCorp certified media in Latin America, and has been working to pioneer Construction Journalism on radio and multimedia content online since 2003. Journalist Andrea Méndez Brandam, founder and host, has been inspired and coached by Shauna Crockett Burrows, Positive News UK founder.
Journalism is the production and distribution of reports on the interaction of events, facts, ideas, and people that are the "news of the day" and that informs society to at least some degree of accuracy. The word, a noun, applies to the occupation, the methods of gathering information, and the organizing literary styles.
Citizen journalism, also known as collaborative media, participatory journalism, democratic journalism, guerrilla journalism or street journalism, is based upon members of the community playing an active role in the process of collecting, reporting, analyzing, and disseminating news and information. Courtney C. Radsch defines citizen journalism "as an alternative and activist form of news gathering and reporting that functions outside mainstream media institutions, often as a response to shortcomings in the professional journalistic field, that uses similar journalistic practices but is driven by different objectives and ideals and relies on alternative sources of legitimacy than traditional or mainstream journalism". Jay Rosen offers a simpler definition: "When the people formerly known as the audience employ the press tools they have in their possession to inform one another." The underlying principle of citizen journalism is that ordinary people, not professional journalists, can be the main creators and distributors of news. Citizen journalism should not be confused with community journalism or civic journalism, both of which are practiced by professional journalists; collaborative journalism, which is the practice of professional and non-professional journalists working together; and social journalism, which denotes a digital publication with a hybrid of professional and non-professional journalism.
Journalistic ethics and standards comprise principles of ethics and good practice applicable to journalists. This subset of media ethics is known as journalism's professional "code of ethics" and the "canons of journalism". The basic codes and canons commonly appear in statements by professional journalism associations and individual print, broadcast, and online news organizations.
Science journalism conveys reporting about science to the public. The field typically involves interactions between scientists, journalists and the public.
Pack journalism is the characterization of news reporting in which reporters from different news outlets collaborate to cover the same story, leaving news reporting homogeneous. This is the practice whereby reporters use the same sources of information for their stories. This not only refers to print sources but people who provide quotes and information for stories too. When reporters need to cover a specific person for a story, these individuals will often move from place to place, and crowd together in masses at the scenes of newsworthy locations just for comments and/or quotes from individuals involved. While this is considered proper reporting, when reporters from several news outlets take the same steps to cover the same story, it leaves news virtually unvaried.
Narrative journalism, also referred to as literary journalism, is defined as creative nonfiction that contains accurate, well-researched information. It is related to immersion journalism, where a writer follows a subject or theme for a long period of time and details an individual's experiences from a deeply personal perspective.
Peace journalism is a style and theory of reporting that aims to treat stories about war and conflict with balance, in contrast to war journalism, which peace journalism advocates say display a bias toward violence. The theory proposes practical methods for correcting biases in stories appearing in the mainstream and alternative media, and suggests ways for journalists to work with other media professionals, audiences, and organizations in conflict.
Mass media are the means through which information is transmitted to a large audience. This includes newspapers, television, radio, and more recently the Internet. Organizations that provide news through mass media in the United States are collectively known as the news media in the United States.
Collaborative journalism is a growing practice in the field of journalism. One definition is "a cooperative arrangement between two or more news and information organizations, which aims to supplement each organization’s resources and maximize the impact of the content produced." It is practiced by both professional and amateur reporters. It is not to be confused with citizen journalism.
Sources is a web portal for journalists, freelance writers, editors, authors and researchers, focusing especially on human sources: experts and spokespersons who are prepared to answer Reporters' questions or make themselves available for on-air interviews.
Christian de Boisredon is a French writer and social entrepreneur known for his contributions to the media field. He is the founder of Sparknews, a global network promoting positive journalism and impactful initiatives such as Impact Journalism Day and Solutions&Co. They were recognized as an Ashoka Fellow in 2014 for their work with Sparknews.
Medical journalism is news reporting of medical news and features. Medical journalism is diverse, and reflects its audience. The main division is into (1) medical journalism for the general public, which includes medical coverage in general news publications and in specialty medical publications, and (2) medical journalism for doctors and other professionals, which often appears in peer-reviewed journals. The accuracy of medical journalism varies widely. Reviews of mass media publications have graded most stories unsatisfactory, although there were examples of excellence. Other reviews have found that most errors in mass media publications were the result of repeating errors in the original journal articles or their press releases. Some web sites, such as Columbia Journalism Review and Hippocrates Med Review, publish and review medical journalism.
Churnalism is a pejorative term for a form of journalism in which instead of original reported news, pre-packaged material such as press releases or stories provided by news agencies are used to create articles in newspapers and other news media. Its purpose is to reduce cost by reducing original news-gathering and checking sources to counter revenue lost with the rise of Internet news and decline in advertising, with a particularly steep fall in late 2015. The origin of the word has been credited to BBC journalist Waseem Zakir. Churnalism is a portmanteau of "churn" and "journalism", referring to the perceived "churning out" of content by the press.
Analytic journalism is a field of journalism that seeks to make sense of complex reality in order to create public understanding. It combines aspects of investigative journalism and explanatory reporting. Analytic journalism can be seen as a response to professionalized communication from powerful agents, information overload, and growing complexity in a globalised world. It aims to create evidence-based interpretations of reality, often confronting dominant ways of understanding a specific phenomenon.
Constructive journalism is a domain within journalism that is grounded within academia and involves the field of communication that is based around reporting solution-focused news, instead of revolving only around negative and conflict-based stories. The idea behind constructive journalism is to give stories more context and make the consumer of the news more informed by portraying the world more accurately by adding nuances, context, progress and solutions. By giving more background and also reporting what is going well, so that people are more able to create a realistic view of the world. Instead of only reporting the issues, some practitioners of constructive journalism also addresses what the consumer can do with the information, such as how they might take action on the issue. The domain should be seen as an umbrella where different experimentation takes place, from more classic, conservative applications to more progressive and experimental applications often seen in newer newsrooms like De Correspondent, (NL) or Correctiv (DE).
The Solutions Journalism Network(SJN) is an independent, non-profit organization that advocates an approach of solutions journalism, an evidence-based mode of reporting on the responses to social problems. It was founded in 2013 by David Bornstein, Courtney E. Martin, and Tina Rosenberg. Its staff in New York City and Oakland, California, help journalists and news organizations across the country understand, value, and build the capacity to do solutions-oriented reporting.
Safety of journalists is the ability for journalists and media professionals to receive, produce and share information without facing physical or moral threats.
Women in media are individuals who participate in media. Media are the collective communication outlets or tools used to store and deliver information or data. The role of women in media revolves around the four axes of media: media freedom, media pluralism, media independence, and media safety.
Doomscrolling or doomsurfing is the act of spending an excessive amount of time reading large quantities of news, particularly negative news, on the internet and social media. Doomscrolling can also be defined as the excessive consumption of short-form videos or social media content for an excessive period of time without stopping. The concept was coined around 2020, particularly in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Rubryka is a Ukrainian online media outlet specializing in Solutions Journalism and covering news and socio-political developments from Ukraine in Ukrainian, Russian, and English. It was founded in 2018 by its editor-in-chief Anastasia Rudenko, the only Solutions Journalism trainer in Ukraine, accredited by the Solutions Journalism Network.