Solutions Journalism

October 3, 2015
solutionsjournalism.org
@soljourno

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Our Mission

To legitimize and spread the practice of solutions

journalismrigorous reporting about responses to
social problems and their associated results

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A growing network

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What We Do
Newsroom partnerships
Workshops, individual consultations, data support and
project funding (on a case-by-case basis)
Online learning platform
Comprehensive toolkit, best practices, case studiesall for
free
Community building
Platform for shared learning and collaboration

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What is solutions journalism?

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Chicago and Fayetteville, North Carolina, have among

the highest crime rates in the U.S.

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A special series in the Chicago Tribune aims to document

how gun violence shocks and destabilizes neighborhoods

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Fear is the norm,

unity the response.
Mike Adams

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Solutions journalism imposters

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Hero worship

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eHero Worship

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Silver bullet

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Favor for a Friend

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Think tank

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The Afterthought

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Instant Activist

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Chris P. Bacon

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Its solutions journalism if it.

Features not just a person, but a response to a problem

and how it happened
Provides available evidence of results, looking at
effectiveness not just intentions
Produces insights that can help others respond, too
not just inspiration
Discusses limitations and avoids reading like a puff piece
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Why should I do solutions journalism?

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Journalisms theory of change

Pointing out social problems

will spur reform
Journalists act as
whistleblowers and expose
wrongdoing

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Publicity is justly commended as a remedy

for social and industrial diseases. Sunlight
is said to be the best of disinfectants;
electric light the most efficient
policeman. SC Justice Louis Brandeis

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A 2008 Associated Press study of young adults

found widespread news fatigue

Associated Press, A New Model For News: Studying the deep structure of young adult news consumption; June 2008

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Findings:

News fatigue brought many of the participants to a learned

helplessness response.

Over and over, the negativity of news added to the desire

to tune out.

When people think something can be done about a problem

(even something modest), they are more receptive and
attentive to the information

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Seattle Times: Education Lab

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Preliminary findings suggest that Ed Lab

readers felt empowered and engaged
Readers overwhelmingly felt there are effective ways to
address problems

Majority said that stories changed the way they think about
the topic
>50% singled out The Seattle Times as a source of new
information about educational approaches
Content was consistently redistributed and/or shared by
professional stakeholder communities

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Ed Lab results supported by A/B testing

70%
60%

59%

50%

20%

47%

36%

40%
30%

52%

22%

35%

Solutions
story

28%
22%

10%

Nonsolutions
story

0%
I felt inspired
Would read
Would get
Would share the
and/or optimistic more articles
involved in
article **
after reading the from the same working toward
newspaper **
a solution **
article *
* Agree or strongly agree
** Somewhat likely or very likely
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Solutions journalism popular on social media

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Publishers say

I was very skeptical when I first thought

about solutions journalism. I thought, isnt
that what we do every day? We tell the
stories, we make the comments. But Ive
drank the Kool-Aid, Ive really become a
believer. Ive seen how its changed our
newsrooms approach to things. We couldnt
be more pleased with the results.
Frank Blethen, Seattle Times
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Publishers say

Everybody knows that we have a crime

problem here, so we dont just want to do
the same-old, same-old seriesWe do not
have a staff of 600 in the newsroom, weve
got a staff of 60 in the newsroom. Great
staff, but you really have to focus your
resourcestheres not a bigger issue in this
community, so its perfect for the Observer
to get behind. Charles Broadwell, FO
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Why should I do solutions journalism?

Its just good journalism

It engages the audience

Its impactful

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Solutions journalism happens when reporters

Routinely ask sources:

is someone doing a better job with this?
Routinely ask themselves:
is there a possible solutions angle to this story?

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Samantha McCann:
samantha@solutionsjournalism.org
Facebook: www.facebook.com/solutionsjournalism
Twitter: @soljourno

solutionsjournalism.org
@soljourno

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