Post on 12-Jul-2015
The Whole Story
solutionsjournalism.org
@soljourno
The Whole Story
What is journalism for?
What is newsworthy?
How do journalists best serve our audience?
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The reigning myth of journalism….
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…..is a myth
Bad for society.
Bad for journalism.
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Journalism has been
revolutionized in the last 10
years
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But almost all the change is in
platform and technology
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www.solutionsjournalism.org
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To legitimize and spread the practice of solutions
journalism—rigorous reporting about responses to
social problems and their associated results
Our Mission
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Chicago and Fayetteville (NC) have among the highest
rates of violent 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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A Fayetteville Observer series about the issue takes a
different approach
It covers local problems, but also looks for effective models in other cities
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Solutions journalism imposters!
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Hero worship
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Silver bullet
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Favor for a Friend
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Cute Cooking Classes
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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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Solutions journalism is also not a movement
Citizen journalism
Public journalism
Civic journalism
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In Oct 2013, the Seattle Times launched Education Lab, a year-long project to cover solutions in education
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1. It’s good journalism
• Makes journalism stronger and more complete (tells the
whole story)
• Strengthens traditional problem-focused stories by making
the problem starker
• Fresh, audience-friendly approach to stories often dismissed
as “too depressing”
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2. It can engage the audience
• The story is likely to be fresher
• More likely to be shared on social media
• Makes audience feel powerful, less likely to tune out
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•“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
Findings from a 2008 Associated Press study of
young adults
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Results from A/B testing
59%52%
47%
35%
22%
36%
28%22%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
“I felt inspired and/or optimistic after reading the
article” *
Would readmore articles
from the samenewspaper **
Would getinvolved in
working towarda solution **
Would share thearticle **
Solutionsstory
Non-solutionsstory
* Agree or strongly agree** Somewhat likely or very likely
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3. It can be high-impact
• Can lead to more constructive and less divisive conversations
• Advances the public discourse
• Introduces models for change
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•“The solutions stories….probably got the most feedback and they were the most controversial -- I think, in part, because they ruffled the feathers of providers in this community….
•(They) were probably the meatiest of all of the stories in the series. Those were the ones that sparked the most conversation here about what we can do differently and what we are not doing now.”
- Rhiannon Meyers
Corpus Christi Caller-Times
Cost of Diabetes series
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Excessive cynicism = misdemeanor
Excessive gullibility = felony
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Solutions journalism is reporting on something
that’s happening now, and the effects it is
producing
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The 10 Questions
1. Does the story explain the causes of a social problem?
2. Does the story present an associated response to that problem?
3. Does the story get into the problem solving and how-to details?
4. Is the problem solving process central to the narrative?
5. Does the story present evidence of results linked to the response?
6. Does the story explain the limitations of the response?
7. Does the story convey an insight or teachable lesson?
8. Does the story avoid reading like a puff piece?
9. Does the story draw on sources who have a ground-level
understanding, not just 30,000 foot expertise?
10. Does the story give greater attention to the response than to a
leader/innovator/do-gooder?
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When should I look for a solutions story?
The problem is widely shared
A key cause of the problem is widely shared
Actors in a comparable situation have found newsworthy responses to that key cause
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I can’t find a solutions story!
Search more broadly – or more narrowly
Look for a solution to the small slice of the problem that most affects your area
Define “solution” down; it doesn’t have to be thesolution to the problem
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Vetting a solutions story
It doesn’t have to be the best solution
It doesn’t have to be 100% successful….or even 50%
It just has to be a good story
Tell the reader about its limitations
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Solutions stories have characters…
…but the story is what the characters are doing:
Show them trying to solve a problem
Show the results they’re getting
Show how this differs from what others do
Show what can be learned from it
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Solutions stories have tension…
…but the tension isn’t from the clash of two sides, or
“will they succeed?” It’s from:
How will they solve this problem?
How do they overcome the obstacles in their way?
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Who, what, when, where, why…..and how
Details add interest and credibility
The 5 W’s plus H
Our hero
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Covering a specific program
A solutions story is a
good way to catch
readers who might skip
over a more traditional
report on a “too
depressing” issue
Fayetteville Observer: A second chance for a violent 16-year-old
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Covering a specific program
“Educare’s operators
seek to demonstrate––
to policymakers and
the public––effective
strategies to stop poor
children from falling
behind.”
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Covering new initiatives
A new, unproven, idea
can be a solutions story
just lay out the
evidence and tell the
listener why you’re
doing the story
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Covering academic studies
Academic studies can be
covered in a brief note –
or they can be the
foundation for a major a
reported feature
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Quickies
If the problem is
widely known, you
can spend a sentence
on it and go right to
the response. Here’s a
solutions story in 576
words
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Data-driven stories
Look for the positive
deviant. Kentucky residents
greatly increased physical
activity between 2001 and
2011. How?
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Comparing two examples
Keegan Kyle in the OC
Register looks at Santa
Ana’s failed efforts to
deal with prostitution –
and a successful strategy
in nearby Anaheim
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Comparing two examples – Miami Gardens
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Comparing two examples – Miami Gardens
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Comparing two examples – using data
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Good Samaritan Medical Center
West Islip, Long Island
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Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center
Suffern
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Part of a longer series or documentary
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As a frame for an investigation
A successful response
to a problem can
begin and frame a
project or
investigation
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Covering responses to problems
without advocacy, PR or fluff makes
journalism stronger and makes society
stronger
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Tina Rosenberg: tina@solutionsjournalism.org
www.solutionsjournalism.org
@soljourno
solutionsjournalism.org
@soljourno