Introduction to Solutions Journalism
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Introduction to Solutions Journalism by David Bornstein
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Introduction to Solutions Journalism
- 3. Chicago Tribune documents “how gun violence The Whole Story shocks and destabilizes neighborhoods”
- 4. The Fayetteville Observer takes a different approach The Whole Story
- 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.
- 10. The Whole Story NOT the solution!
- 11. The Whole Story No Silver bullets
- 12. The Whole Story Tweet & donate 20 bucks!
- 13. The Whole Story Just the last 5% of the story?
- 14. The Whole Story Chris P. Bacon
- 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.
- 17. The Whole Story
- 18. The Whole Story
- 19. The Whole Story
- 20. The Whole Story An entry point for serious stories
- 21. A practice Solutions journalism: rigorous and compelling coverage of responses to social problems and the The Whole Story results that they are producing
- 22. The Whole Story
- 23. The Whole Story A growing network
- 24. The Whole Story A different response to prostitution (Orange County learns from San Diego)
- 25. The Whole Story How to engage parents in public schools? (Seattle sees possibilities from Chicago)
- 26. From Dropout Factory to 94% graduation rate The Whole Story How did it happen?
- 27. Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel’s & Meg Kissinger’s award-winning The Whole Story “Chronic Crisis” series
- 28. The Whole Story How do Bangladesh’s “Polders” Work?
- 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?
- 30. The Whole Story The Howdunnit!
- 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
- 36. Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center The Whole Story Suffern, 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.
- 38. The Whole Story Who’s doing better against smoking?
- 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
- 40. The Whole Story Who’s doing better against stillbirths?
- 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.