What is "Solutions Journalism" and How Can Journalists Embrace It?
In the face of the challenges and issues that journalists report on, there is an emerging movement (and community) known as Solutions Journalism that seeks to go beyond highlighting problems and instead focuses on potential solutions.
According to the Solutions Journalism Network, the aim of the movement is to report on “how people are trying to solve problems and what we can learn from their successes or failures.”
The network suggests a four-step process for journalists hoping to engage in solutions journalism:
“RESPONSE: Focuses on a response to a social problem — and on how that response has worked, or why it hasn’t.
INSIGHT: Shows what can be learned from a response and why it matters to a newsroom’s audience.
EVIDENCE: Provides data or qualitative results that indicate effectiveness (or lack thereof).
LIMITATIONS: Places responses in context; doesn’t shy away from revealing shortcomings.”
But in order to implement these steps, one needs to know how to begin their process with solutions in mind.
RECOGNIZING THE POTENTIAL IN EVERY STORY
One of the fundamental principles of solutions journalism is that almost any topic can lead to a solutions story. Journalists should evaluate each issue they cover with a solutions-focused lens, looking for opportunities to delve into the efforts being made to address the problem at hand. For example, a list of the Network’s favorite solutions stories included topics from crop-herding to helping caregivers for family members with dementia.
NEW PROGRAM REPORTING
When governmental entities propose new programs or initiatives, it is usually not the first time a government has proposed such a thing. In cross-referencing other laws from other countries and involving communities that were helped or harmed by these programs, journalists can gain insights into potential solutions and assess the likelihood of success for the proposed program, which can then inform both lawmakers and the community on how to proceed with tackling this legislation.
SOURCES
While sources are not the most reliable place for ideas or gathering data, lawmakers and public officials often draw inspiration on their agenda from what has worked elsewhere, and will usually, unprompted, draw comparisons from their work to their source of inspiration. From there, journalists can, as mentioned above, begin gathering evidence on whether or not these “solutions” have been successful for communities or have worked too much in favor of the lawmakers themselves.
Once the data is gathered, applying the information to the four tenets of solutions journalism mentioned above is crucial.
“This for me was a game changer,” wrote Tom Hallberg for the International Journalists’ Network. “Identifying sources and interview questions that satisfy each of the four pillars makes it easy to track how well a story fits into solutions coverage, and it ensures you don’t enter the writing phase missing a key ingredient.” The solutions journalism approach encourages a balance between empirical evidence and narrative explanations of the daily struggles of a community in conversation with the topic of the piece, which means journalists have to walk a fine line between data-driven reporting and human interest.
Solutions journalism empowers journalists to contribute to positive change by shining a light on innovative approaches and successful initiatives. By embracing a solutions-focused approach, journalists can enrich their reporting and provide readers with a more comprehensive understanding of the issues at hand. The importance of this cannot be overstated: in order for solutions to take place, the Solutions Journalism Network constantly emphasizes that empathy and humanity must be part of the process from the very beginning.
