Impact

Reporter Gabriela Barzallo wrote a solutions story titled “¿Puede la bioeconomía tomar el relevo al petróleo en la Amazonia ecuatoriana?” (“Can the bioeconomy replace oil extraction in the Ecuadorian Amazon?”) for the Americas section of El País, one of the most extensive and trustworthy Spanish-language outlets, in June 2023. Shortly after, Ecuador’s minister of tourism, Niels Olsen, reached out to discuss some of the nonextractive economic practices she explored in her article, including ecotourism. In a plan for the country’s tourism industry outlined at the beginning of 2024, the minister specifically mentioned his intention to promote sustainable and entrepreneurial forms of tourism that would benefit rural and indigenous communities.

Beginning in April 2023, the Connecticut and Long Island public radio station WSHU launched the “Trash Talkin’ ” series, focused on the local impact of waste issues. Monthly meetings with community members, as well as engagement via the station’s website, Facebook page and a live blog are core pieces of the solutions-oriented editorial project. This approach, anchored in listening to people affected by or interested in questions about trash, has led to the production of dozens of stories, including from successful freedom of information requests instigated through collaboration with the public. The reporting led to the issue of waste becoming central in talking points around an electoral campaign for executive roles in Suffolk County, according to J.D. Allen, WSHU’s managing editor. This extensive community engagement has led to a growing audience composed of people who were previously unaware of the station’s existence and is being replicated across other projects pursued by the local NPR affiliate.

The impact of solutions stories has been so positive that staff members at The Citizen Bulletin, a hyperlocal digital publication based in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe’s second-largest city, are reluctant to share problem-focused stories with their community of readers, according to Divine Dube, the editorial director. Following the publication of stories such as “Gwanda Women Revolutionise Diaper Disposal With Eco-Conscious Solution” and “Home-made Sanitary Ware Empowers Girls To Stay in School,” an increasing number of engaged readers have grown the Bulletin’s WhatsApp community by 2%-5%, or 20-50 people, per month. Sharing articles about responses to social issues has led to more dynamic discussions in the group and “sparked lively debates, invigorating our reporters with fresh perspectives and story ideas for future reporting endeavors,” said Dube.

Emma Löfgren produced a seven-part email-based course on solutions journalism for The Fix, a trade publication focused on the European media market. The series, which spans the same number of weeks, was designed to provide “hands-on tips for making your newsroom more solutions-focused, winning over skeptics and keeping your closest allies on the right track.” Löfgren is also the deputy managing editor of The Local, a digital publication covering news in English for foreigners across various European countries, and editor of the The Local Sweden. As a newsroom leader, solutions journalism is a key part of her editorial priorities.