5. The Whole Story
Cover local problems & look to see
how others are doing better
6. The Whole Story
Solutions Journalism
Solutions journalism IS:
• Rigorous reporting about
responses to problems
• Grounded in results &
evidence
• About problem-solving
• Readily integrated with
hard news and
investigative journalism
Solutions journalism is NOT:
• Advocacy, fluff, hero
stories
• “Good news”, feel good
• Speculative
• A movement
• Boring!
7. 2008 Associated Press Study of Young Adults
“News fatigue brought many of the participants to
The Whole Story
a learned helplessness response.”
“Over and over, the negativity of news added to
the desire to tune out.”
8. The Whole Story
Can GOOD journalism backfire?
• Feinberg & Willer, 2011: Dire
warnings reduce belief in
global warming.
• Witte & Allen, 2000: When
people have a low sense of
efficacy, fear-inducing
messages lead to defensive
responses not behavior
change.
15. Information & Behavior Change: 2 Questions
The Whole Story
“What’s at stake?” “Can we fix this?”
16. The Whole Story
Marshall Ganz
It’s a recognition of the world’s
problems combined with recognition
of the world’s possibilities that brings
change.
21. A practice
Solutions journalism: rigorous and compelling
coverage of responses to social problems and the
The Whole Story
results that they are producing
29. The Whole Story
Solutions journalism rubric
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?
31. The Whole Story
Seattle Times: Education Lab
Education Lab Blog Traffic
31
80000
70000
60000
50000
40000
30000
20000
10000
0
Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr
Page views
Visits
Unique Visitors
Strategies
• Get on st.com home page
• 3 posts/day at Web rush hour
Highlights
• #4 non-sports blog
• #11 among all blogs
32. The Whole Story
Reader Engagement (A/B) Test
59%
52%
47%
35%
22%
36%
28%
22%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
“I felt inspired
and/or optimistic
after reading the
article” *
Would read more
articles from the
same
newspaper**
Would get
involved in
working toward a
solution**
Would share the
article**
Solutions
story
Non-solutions
story
* Agree or strongly agree
** Somewhat likely or very likely
33. The Whole Story
For reporters, new energy
“Never in 23 years of reporting have I written a story
that’s generated such consistent reaction from readers
– from politicians to educators to moms and those
who’ve never had kids. Yes, I’ve done stories that
sparked lots of reaction, but not like this: thoughtful,
appreciative, inspired. [It’s] an indication that people
really seem to be ready to change the tone of debate
around education.”
– Claudia Rowe, Seattle Times reporter
34. The Whole Story
Harnessing data
and information
for the health
of communities.
10-12 news
partners
Asking “Who’s doing it better?”
35. The Whole Story
Good Samaritan Medical Center
West Islip, NY
37. When should I look for a solutions angle?
Whenever you’re looking into a widespread
problem, or a news event whose cause is a
The Whole Story
widespread problem.
39. Who’s doing better against maternal mortality?
The Whole Story
Percentage change in Maternal Mortality Rate 1990-2010, Africa
What’s happening in
Rwanda?
What about Angola,
Namibia and Zambia?
39
41. The Whole Story
Why is it worth doing?
•Makes our journalism more accurate & complete
•Makes investigations about problems starker
•Makes the story fresher (adds contrast)
•Increases community efficacy, not apathy or cynicism
•Can lead to less polarized, more constructive discourse
42. In Summary
Covering responses to problems without
advocacy, PR or fluff makes journalism
stronger, and has the potential to make
The Whole Story
communities and society stronger
43. The Whole Story
Just one more thing…
“Who’s doing it
better?”
Editor's Notes
Mention that journalists are welcome to go to our website to find examples of solutions journalism stories, as well as a blog and a few tools for journalists (which we’re in the process of bulking up). Website www.solutionsjournalism.org
THIS IS WHAT YOU FIND.
Study: June 2008. A New Model for News: Studying the deep structure of young-adult news consumption
Affects whether they read other stories.
Marshall Ganz: I went to Mississippi because it was a movement of young people, and there’s something very particular about young people, not just that they have time. Walter Brueggemann writes in The Prophetic Imagination about the two elements of prophetic vision. One is criticality, recognition of the world’s pain. Second is hope, recognition of the world’s possibilities. Young people come of age with a critical eye and a hopeful heart. It’s that combination of critical eye and hopeful heart that brings change. That’s one reason why so many young people were and are involved in movements for social change.
Mention that journalists are welcome to go to our website to find examples of solutions journalism stories, as well as a blog and a few tools for journalists (which we’re in the process of bulking up). Website www.solutionsjournalism.org
In the course of eight years, from 2004 to 2011, an $18 million program called Integrated Planning for Sustainable Water Management (IPSWAM) that was funded by the Dutch and Bangladeshi governments had changed the lives of an estimated 200,000 people in nine polder areas. According to a 2009 evaluation of two of these polder communities by outside experts, the program had reduced the number of people living in extreme poverty from 45 percent to 16 percent—a result that alone ought to have made it famous. Previously waterlogged land had been made available for farming, and acreage that had borne one crop a year now supported two or even three harvests.Read more: http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2014/04/bangladesh-floods-105884_Page2.html#ixzz35tnaIy6K
Dutch and Bangladeshi governments had changed the lives of an estimated 200,000 people in nine polder areas. According to a 2009 evaluation of two of these polder communities by outside experts, the program had reduced the number of people living in extreme poverty from 45 percent to 16 percent—a result that alone ought to have made it famous. Previously waterlogged land had been made available for farming, and acreage that had borne one crop a year now supported two or even three harvests.Read more: http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2014/04/bangladesh-floods-105884_Page2.html#ixzz35tmx7dW1
“We recently helped design a study in consultation with the Engaging News project at the University of Texas to test whether solutions-oriented stories have a differential effect on readers than non-solutions oriented stories. Survey Sampling International found 750 people to read one of two versions of articles on similar topics. After they finished reading, they were asked to answer a few questions. We were amazed to find that people who read the solutions-oriented version of the article were more likely to share it on social media, read more articles in this paper, become involved themselves in working toward a solution, and feel inspired. All of these findings have statistical significance. These results are preliminary. The researchers who ran this project are in the process of finalizing a paper that will discuss this.”
The story is likely to be fresher
More likely to be shared on social media
Makes readers feel powerful, less likely to tune out
If lots of places are struggling with it, there will be a variety of responses – some better than others. Example: measles outbreak whose underlying cause is vaccine refusal.
Union County, North Carolina experienced an impressive 46% decline in the prevalence of male daily smokers between 1996 and 2012, falling from 26% to 14%. This decrease was among the largest in North Carolina, which is a state that still had a large number of counties with male daily smoking rates exceeding 20% in 2012. As the top tobacco-growing state in the United States, North Carolina has not had the easiest time enacting anti-smoking regulations. In fact, efforts to pass state-wide indoor smoking bans failed in 2005 and 2007, which was several years after many states successfully implemented their own indoor smoking laws. In fact, it took until May 2009 for North Carolina’s legislature to successfully pass a ban on smoking in restaurants and bars. So what was different about Union County? It would appear that NC Health and Wellness Trust Fund programming, which is funded through North Carolina’s share of the national tobacco settlement, was particularly active in Union County well before tobacco control initiatives gained traction at the state-level. For instance, Union County public schools hosted a “Proud to Be Tobacco-Free” youth retreat in 2004, reflecting the county’s commitment to anti-smoking efforts much earlier than the rest of North Carolina.