Please read the instructor's welcome message for Module 2
In this module we will focus on Identifying, vetting, and reporting solutions stories. Many people who want to do solutions journalism aren’t always sure where to begin. I'll discuss some key points to remember beginning with identifying a social problem.
A solutions story can be about a problem of any scope. From a neighborhood effort to a country-wide initiative, the story should be proportional to the problem it is trying to address. Sometimes it is easier to find solutions stories about how people are solving smaller slices. Kavita Chandran, journalism trainer and news content advisor from Singapore, will help us choose the small slice of a problem and how to look for who’s doing a better job of tackling it.
We will also dive into the positive deviant — responses that appear to drive better outcomes for one community when compared to other communities with similar challenges. Positive deviants are great because they provide ready-made justification for why you’re choosing this particular story. You're working backward from the evidence instead of the other way around.
And we will learn how leveraging solutions journalism builds trust with audiences, increasing engagement and loyalty and driving impact and accountability. In the face of today’s standard views on the trustworthiness of the media, a Solutions Journalism approach can potentially rebuild lost credibility and interest from readers, viewers, or listeners.
For readings, we’ll be looking at some of the stories Kelsey and Lisa will be discussing, and I’ve summarized some key points in a short essay.
Thanks,
Hugo