solutions journalism
Solutions journalism is rigorous news reporting on how people are responding to societyâs problems. For example, where a traditional news story might highlight the rise in homelessness in a community, a solutions-based story would similarly describe the problem but would dedicate the bulk of the story to what an individual, organization, or institution is doing to combat the problem. In this way, journalists who practice solutions-oriented reporting reframe their stories to focus on responses to societal problems rather than on their causes in an effort to engage audiences and push society forward. Research studies testing the effects of solutions journalism have shown promising results.
History and Justification
Solutions journalism has become an established approach in journalism. It gained much attention from professionals and academics starting in 2013, but it was not a new idea at the time. In 1998, the trade magazine Columbia Journalism Review reported a rise in the practice, noting that solutions-oriented stories had been published in popular news outlets such as the Los Angeles Times and The New York Times. In the years following, a few organizations made notable attempts to practice or promote the practice. French nongovernmental organization Reporters dâEspoirs (Reporters of Hope) launched a group of journalists and media professionals dedicated to promoting solutions journalism in 2003. In 2010, a nonprofit hybrid peer-reviewed journal and online magazine, Solutions, launched with the goal of providing a forum to discuss solutions to the worldâs ecological, social, and economic problems. That same year, The New York Times started a blog series called Fixes that took a solutions approach. It wasnât until the launch of the independent nonprofit Solutions Journalism Network in 2013 that the genre began to gain substantial momentum. But the justification for such a reporting style has remained consistent: Journalism critics and the public lament that the mainstream media publish too much negative news.
Indeed, a large body of research has documented the detrimental impact of negative news on individualsâ mental and physical health, attitudes, and behaviors. In a 2014 national survey conducted in the United States by NPR, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and the Harvard School of Public Health, survey participants said that reading, watching, or listening to the news was one of their leading causes of stress. Research suggests that although negative news stories with high levels of conflictâthe âif it bleeds, it leadsâ strategyâattract audiences, at least initially, the excessive amount of negatively skewed news has also caused audiences to become apathetic to human suffering or to disengage with the news. Proponents of solutions journalism acknowledge that exposing societyâs ills is a core function of the news media, but they argue that informing the public of societyâs successes, or at least of attempts to solve problems, is equally as important.
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Situating Solutions Journalism in the Field
Since the mid-20th century, it has been understood that the news media, at least in nations with a free press, have a duty to act in a way that benefits society. In 1947, the Hutchins Commission, formally the Commission on Freedom of the Press, which was convened in the United States to evaluate the role and social responsibilities of the news media, declared that the American press has an obligation to consider societyâs best interests in their news-making decisions. Similarly, the Society of Professional Journalists, the flagship organization representing journalists in the United States, asserts that one of journalismâs four main ethical tenets is to minimize harm. It is these ideals that underpin solutions journalism.
This commitment to social responsibility, however, has also underpinned several related forms of journalism that have similar values, such as civic or public journalism, peace journalism, advocacy journalism, constructive journalism, and more. Journalists and journalism scholars alike have at times used these terms interchangeably or inconsistently, yet each genre has its distinct methods and goals. Civic or public journalism encourages the public to engage in the democratic process. For example, a news organization might host a town hall debate to facilitate public discussion. Peace journalism is a form of news reporting by which reporters frame their stories in ways that facilitate nonviolent responses to conflict, for example, by avoiding inflammatory words such as massacre, slaughter, or brutal. This type of reporting is often discussed in the context of national or international conflict. Advocacy journalism is a form of news in which reporters take an unapologetically subjective stance (albeit factual) to advance a social or political goal. And, constructive journalism is an umbrella term used to describe various forms of news that involve the application of positive psychology techniques to the news process. Constructive journalism calls for journalists to eliminate the negativity bias in the news by reporting stories about progress and collaboration as often as they report stories about destruction and conflict.
Solutions journalism has been considered a form of constructive journalism, but its distinctive goals distinguish it from other genres. It is not dedicated to promoting democracy. It is not focused on preventing violent conflict. And, it is considered to adhere to the journalistic norm of objectivity, at least insofar as objectivity is possible. Solutions journalism and similar genres subscribe to the media sociology perspective that journalists are not detached observers who simply report facts, but rather play a role in shaping stories, and thus, shaping society. In this way, all these genres call on journalists to take a more active rather than passive role. Solutions journalists do this by framing their stories in terms of possible solutions rather than sustained conflicts. Critics may call this bias, but proponents of solutions journalism argue that all journalists shape the stories they produce. Further, solutions journalists say that adhering to the Solutions Journalism Networkâs standards for writing a solutions storyâthat is, a rigorous, evidence-based approachâlimits bias or advocacy.
Others have expressed skepticism of solutions journalism on the grounds that it is a slippery slope to publishing puff pieces, or feel-good news, such as a story about a firefighter who rescued a cat from a tree. Again, proponents say that as long as reporters follow the Solutions Journalism Networkâs guidelines, the result will be a critical examination of a societal problem and not a feel-good story that lacks widespread social significance. A final criticism of solutions journalism is that such stories might cast issues too simplistically, as many problems are complex and do not have clear solutions. Perhaps the solutions approach is not well suited for such complex issues. This style of reporting is not a cure-all for journalismâs problems, and it is not appropriate for all news stories, such as breaking news. However, used appropriately, the approach has yielded positive results.
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The Impact of Solutions Journalism
News professionals and researchers have largely reported anecdotal and empirical evidence supporting the use of solutions journalism. Since its launch in 2013, the Solutions Journalism Network has trained more than 100,000 journalists, collaborated with hundreds of newsrooms, and supported journalism education programs worldwide. Newsrooms that worked with the network reported substantial benefits. Utahâs Deseret News adopted a solutions focus as a way to increase readership after a number of layoffs. As a result, in 2013, it became the fastest-growing newspaper in the United States based on circulation. The Seattle Timesâ Education Labâa project in conjunction with the Solutions Journalism Networkâcelebrated 5 years (2013â2018) of successful solutions-oriented coverage of the problems plaguing education in Washington state. Finally, the Montgomery Advertiser, whose reporters received solutions journalism training, and which essentially relaunched as a solutions-oriented news outlet in 2018, reported an increase in page views and engagement time on their solutions stories. Anecdotally, the editor said that the change fostered a greater audience connection and gave the newsroom a greater sense of purpose. Since the 2010s, many news organizations around the world have adopted similar approaches.
Solutions journalism has been at least equally as popular, and arguably more popular, in Europe than in the United States. Some of the pioneers of solutions-oriented journalism, or what many people in Europe call constructive journalism, come from Denmark. Danish journalist Cathrine Gyldensted, cofounder of the Constructive Journalism Network, has traveled around the world training newsroom staff in the practice. In 2015, she published a book on the subject titled, From Mirrors to Movers: Five Elements of Positive Psychology in Constructive Journalism. Gyldensted, along with journalism scholar Karen McIntyre, coined the term constructive journalism in the academic literature. Another Danish journalist, Ulrik Haagerup, launched the independent Constructive Institute in 2017 and published books on the subject.
Also in Denmark, DR, or the Danish Broadcasting Corporation, hosts radio programming centered on solving problems in the community. The U.K. magazine Positive News is credited as being the first news outlet dedicated to publishing constructive news. Dutch news website De Correspondent launched in the Netherlands in 2013 after raising more than ÂŁ1 million in eight days to finance its work in constructive journalism.
More well-known news organizations in Europe have also shown a commitment to solutions journalism. British daily newspaper The Guardian launched a series called The Upside, which publishes solutions-focused news stories. The BBC began a solutions-oriented news program called World Hacks (now People Fixing the World) after the United Nations called on the media giant to address solutions in its reporting. Other European news outlets that feature solutions journalism include Sveriges Television in Sweden, the newspaper Tages-Anzeiger in Switzerland, and the website Perspective Daily in Germany, among others. To a lesser extent, solutions journalism has also been practiced by news outlets on other continents, in countries such as South Africa, Uganda, Kenya, China, Colombia, and more. The Solutions Journalism Networkâs Story Tracker, a database that houses solutions-oriented news stories, included thousands of stories from more than 100 countries by the early 2020s.
Academics who have tested the impact of solutions journalism reveal a slightly less rosy picture but still have reported promising results. Taken together, research has consistently shown that solutions stories (as compared to stories that focus on conflict) cause readers to feel more positive or more emotionally connected to the stories and the issues. Several studies have also shown that those who read solutions stories report higher levels of self-efficacy. In other words, they have a greater belief that they can contribute to the solution themselves. Additionally, the bulk of the research has indicated that readers of solutions stories are more likely than readers of conflict stories to say that they want to seek more information about the issue. Some studies have shown further benefits of solutions stories, such as increased intent to share solutions stories or to act in a way that supports the solution, but these results have not been conclusive. Further research has revealed that journalists themselves, at least in the United States, reported favorable attitudes toward solutions journalism and said that they intended to report solutions stories.
The original version of this article was published by SAGE Publications in The SAGE International Encyclopedia of Mass Media and Society.