Analyzing Solutions Journalism Stories

The best way to solidify an understanding of the four pillars is by looking for them while analyzing numerous solutions stories. 

Students may not be ready to take this on individually, so consider starting with a whole-class analysis of a couple of short stories in different media that include all the pillars. For example, you could listen to this very short story as a whole class — once to become familiar with the story, and another time to take notes on every instance that contributes to the four pillars. Then you could print out a short story like this one for everyone to read and do the same thing, asking students to underline and label each instance where a pillar is addressed, then share. See the section on “Sample Annotated Stories” for some you can use in your class.

How to teach this: You can have your students take notes on the audio story and mark up the written story individually, then compare their findings in small groups before coming together as a whole class. For the audio story, it can be helpful to give students a grid with one block for each pillar. For the written story, ask them to underline and label each instance with an “H” for how the response works, an “E” for evidence of effectiveness, an “I” for insights and an “L” for limitations.

Tip: Be prepared for students to be highly critical of the stories you present. Often, their criticisms can be aligned with weaknesses in one or more of the pillars, so ask them how they would have coached the reporter to remedy them. Also, don’t expect them to fully grasp the four pillars after this exercise. You will have to repeat it several times during the semester and also emphasize the need for them to find the four pillars in their own research and interviews.