CBS expands solutions journalism across local television stations

The television network CBS trained news leaders at the local stations it owns — including those in major markets like New York, Los Angeles and Chicago — to bring solutions journalism to their audiences. It also formed a cross-station “CBS Local News Innovation Lab” so that these leaders can work on solutions-focused reporting together. Chad Cross, who heads the Innovation Lab, has led solutions coverage for years — first in his role at KXAN in Austin, where he helped lead two award-winning solutions reporting projects: “S.O.S. Save Our Students” and “Pandemic Pass or Fail.” He was the only TV executive to take part in one of SJN’s Train-the-Trainer workshops in 2022. Wendy McMahon, president and chief executive officer of CBS News and Stations, said CBS is focusing on solutions because it wants to “look past the who, what, where and why to ask: ‘How can we help? How can we help make our communities better places to live?’ That’s the aspiration.”