Impact Stories

Reporting from The Real News Network (TRNN) that focused on how worker cooperatives can rebuild local communities was picked up by seven other news outlets within a month of publication. Six of these news organizations interviewed Real News Network reporter Jaisal Noor, who discussed his approach, his findings and his 26-minute documentary that examines how worker cooperatives persevered through the pandemic. In less than 60 days, the solutions documentary had over 6,000 views.

Drawing on a model from The Sacramento Bee and other McClatchy newsrooms in California, The Modesto Bee launched an Economic Mobility Lab with support from local and national funders as well as more than 250 individuals. The Lab has three reporters and an editor, and focuses on underserved communities, education and economic development in Stanislaus County, according to editor Brian Clark. Community engagement and solutions-based journalism will be central to the Lab’s success, he said.

After reading the newsroom’s solutions-oriented series about new approaches to providing mental health support to children, Eric Studebaker, director of student engagement and safety coordination at the Idaho State Department of Education, invited a school district employee who had been featured in the reporting to speak to a group of stakeholders. This group, in turn, made recommendations for improving access to mental health in schools that the Department of Education is now considering.

The Reporter helped push its city to address homelessness by publishing a solutions series on potential pathways forward (https://www.sfreporter.com/news/2021/03/22/mayor-proposes-cash-infusion-for-housing/). The reporting (here https://www.sfreporter.com/news/coverstories/2021/03/03/house-rules/ and here https://www.sfreporter.com/news/coverstories/2021/03/10/home-game/) highlighted the need for cash to build a trust fund for affordable housing and the benefits of inclusionary zoning.

On March 15, 2021, a nonprofit providing housing assistance to residents in Cleveland’s Slavic Village neighborhood announced it received a $50,000 gift from an anonymous donor. According to a press release from the nonprofit, Slavic Village Development, the donation was made in response to a Jan. 26 article from the Northeast Ohio Solutions Journalism Collaborative, a project supported by SJN that aims to reinvigorate local media ecosystems through collaborative solutions journalism projects. The story was originally produced and published by The Land, a local nonprofit news outlet, but additional collaborative members republished it.

A month after a Cleveland public radio station aired a solutions story examining the trend of “pay-to-stay” housing legislation, the city of Lakewood in northeast Ohio passed a similar measure, and city leaders in two other communities in northeast Ohio introduced the idea. The story, by Ideastream, examined what happened in other Ohio cities that had already implemented the measure, which allows tenants behind on rent to remain in their homes if they pay what they owe before local courts process the eviction. (Ohio is one of five states that allow landlords to file for eviction as soon as a payment is missed, without offering tenants any extra time to come up with the money.) Ideastream is part of the SJN-sponsored Northeast Ohio Solutions Journalism Collaborative. Housing advocates note that the widely shared story is helping educate the public and landlords.