Impact Stories

A professor at Ohio State University said his documentary about water systems and affordability was influenced by the reporting of the 22-member news collaborative in Northeast Ohio (https://www.neosojo.com/) known as NEO SoJo. Ramiro Berardo, professor of environmental and natural resources policy, said NEO SoJo’s stories about the aid that’s available to help people pay utility bills were especially invaluable (https://www.neosojo.com/blog/neo-sojo-stories-featured-in-water-for-all-documentary). “The issue is not that these programs don’t exist,” he said. “The issue is they do exist but people are not accessing them.”

The Bonn Institute, designed to be a hub for making journalism “more solutions-oriented, richer in perspective and increasingly dialogue-based,” was launched in Germany in April 2022, led by Ellen Heinrichs, a solutions journalism supporter who formerly worked at Deutsche Welle. Lisa Urlbauer, a former SJN staff member, is training coordinator.

BBC Media Action, the BBC’s international development charity, contracted Corinne Podger, a certified solutions journalism trainer, to co-write a new 'Reporting Effectively for Climate Action' online course, which included a module on solutions journalism. Originally created for journalists in East Africa, the course was adapted in 2022 for global distribution in a mobile-first, micro-learning format.

A solutions-focused package produced by six news organizations won second place in the education category in the National Headliner Awards, one of the nation’s oldest and largest journalism contests. The winning entry included a series of stories that explored where and how schools are making progress in boosting students’ reading skills, which suffered during the pandemic. These six news organizations, plus The Fresno Bee, are now working on the fifth package of solutions-focused stories they’ve jointly produced since March 2021.

Solutions coverage of democracy helped Prism raise $100,000 for additional politics and democracy reporting. Shirley Vilca, Prism’s development director, said the newsroom’s solutions journalism approach helped attract a major donor who she said was drawn to this editorial approach. Prism also highlights its solutions work in its impact report, which staff members use in fundraising efforts.

At KXAN, a TV station in Austin, Texas, solutions journalism is at the core of training for staff. Solutions journalism sessions are typically part of regular events like editorial meetings, with reporters, managers, producers and photographers in attendance. A poster highlighting the basics of the solutions approach is on display in the newsroom, and stories adopting the framework are discussed weekly. KXAN’s website has a dedicated vertical for solutions content, and major solutions projects include explainers that highlight and describe the solutions approach to the station’s audience.