Solutions Journalism Network Wikipedia

Bonisiwe Shabane
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solutions journalism network wikipedia

The Solutions Journalism Network (SJN) is an independent, non-profit organization that advocates an approach of solutions journalism, an evidence-based mode of reporting on the responses to social problems. It was founded in 2013 by David Bornstein, Courtney E. Martin, and Tina Rosenberg. Its staff in New York City and Oakland, California, help journalists and news organizations across the country understand, value, and build the capacity to do solutions-oriented reporting. The mission of SJN is "to spread the practice of solutions journalism: rigorous and compelling reporting about responses to social problems".[1] What SJN calls solutions journalism is preceded by very similar journalistic styles that... The Solutions Journalism Network grew out of the "Fixes" column in The New York Times Opinionator section written by journalists David Bornstein and Tina Rosenberg since October 2010.[2] Together with Courtney Martin, an author,...

SJN's first major project was a collaboration with The Seattle Times to produce a year-long series of solutions-oriented stories about public education called Education Lab. This initiative was extended for a second year.[3] In its first year, SJN also launched a series of funds to provide financial support to journalists pursuing solutions stories on topics concerning climate change resilience,... SJN believes that most news reporting fails to fulfill journalism's mission to hold an accurate mirror up to society. While traditional journalism holds that a reporter's primary role is to expose problems, SJN argues that the press should also examine examples of responses to those problems, with the same degree of rigor. These responses, it holds, are an important part of what is happening in the world, and accurate coverage of society must include them to be able to provide the whole story. Solutions journalism is rigorous and compelling reporting about responses to social problems, which includes these key elements:

Founded in 2013 by the award-winning journalists David Bornstein, Tina Rosenberg and Courtney Martin, the Solutions Journalism Network includes: The Solutions Story Tracker® is the largest collection of solutions journalism: 17,200 stories produced by 9,700 journalists and 2,140 news outlets from 98 countries. The stories cover responses in 199 countries, in 18 languages. This resource is made possible because of a growing movement of journalists who use solutions journalism to illuminate both problems and evidence-based responses to them. The Solutions Journalism Network offers newsletters for journalists, educators and everyone interested in how people are responding to problems. Journalists in our global network use solutions journalism to strengthen community efficacy, challenge false and harmful stereotypes, build trust and civic engagement, depolarize public discourse and build new sources of revenue.

Solutions journalism is an approach to news reporting that focuses on the responses to social issues as well as the problems themselves. Solutions stories, anchored in credible evidence, explain how and why responses are working, or not working. The goal of this journalistic approach is to present people with a truer, more complete view of these issues, helping to drive more effective citizenship. Solutions journalism is rigorous, evidence-based reporting on the responses to social problems. Solutions stories can take many forms, but they share several key characteristics. They identify the root causes of a social problem; prominently highlight a response, or responses, to that problem; present evidence of the impact of that response; and explain how and why the response is...

When possible, solutions stories also present an insight that helps people better understand how complex systems work, and how they can be improved. Proponents of solutions journalism distinguish the approach from so-called "good news" reporting, which can be characterized by a superficial presentation of a response without careful analysis or examination of whether the response is effective. Solutions stories assess responses that are working today, as opposed to untested theories—and they tend to place more emphasis on the innovation than on a person or institution responsible for that innovation. Solutions journalism supporters believe that it provides important feedback that allows society to see credible possibilities and respond more successfully to emerging challenges. Compelling reporting about responses to social problems, they say, can strengthen society by increasing the circulation of knowledge necessary for citizens to engage powerfully with issues in their communities, and for communities, leaders, innovators,... Simply reporting on problems, some research shows, can reduce citizens' sense of efficacy, leading them to disengage from public life.

In a 2008 study, the Associated Press found that young people were tired of news, which they perceived as being negative and lacking resolution.[1] This resulted in "news fatigue", in which people tended to... The Solutions Journalism Network leads a global shift in journalism focused on advancing rigorous reporting about how people are trying to solve problems and what we can learn from their successes and failures. We call solutions journalism "hope with teeth." Research shows that when news reveals what’s working (or promising), it elevates the tone of public discourse by making it less divisive and more constructive, allows communities... We believe every person deserves healthy, high-quality news. The Solutions Journalism Network is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization committed to advancing journalism that is respectful and helpful. The team at Solutions Journalism Network is an energetic and collaborative bunch, living on four continents.

The Solutions Journalism Network receives financial support from foundations and individual donors. Solutions journalism is rigorous and compelling reporting about responses to social problems, which includes these key elements: Solutions journalism investigates and explains, in a critical and clear-eyed way, how people try to solve widely shared problems. While journalists usually define news as “what’s gone wrong,” solutions journalism tries to expand that definition: Responses to problems are also newsworthy. By adding rigorous coverage of solutions, journalists can tell the whole story. Solutions journalism complements and strengthens coverage of problems.

Done well, solutions stories provide valuable insights that help communities with the difficult work of tackling problems like homelessness or climate change, skyrocketing housing prices or low voter turnout. We also know from research that solutions stories can change the tone of public discourse, making it less divisive and more constructive. By revealing what has worked, such stories have led to meaningful change. We gathered in 2023 to celebrate a decade of solutions journalism, impact, insights, and the people who have made this possible. The key tenets of solutions journalism. What is it?

What is it not? Why is it important? And how to make it happen, from idea to reporting to completed story. This toolkit is available in 18 languages. The content in this toolkit is free to repurpose. All SJN Learning Lab content is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) license.

If you’re reading this toolkit, it means you are—at the very least—intrigued by solutions journalism and how it might enhance your reporting skills. Great. We believe journalists gain a lot when they look at responses to problems. This isn’t service journalism in the traditional sense; it is rigorous and investigative journalism at its core. A wide variety of compelling stories simply don’t get covered. Why?

The field of journalism has traditionally been resistant to seeing responses as legitimate fodder for investigation. Some reporters and editors fear it will be perceived as advocacy, fluff, or PR. Here at the Solutions Journalism Network (SJN), our mission is to change that perception. We define solutions journalism as rigorous, compelling coverage of responses to social problems—reporting done with the highest of journalistic standards. Our mission is to transform journalism so that all people have access to news that helps them envision and build a more equitable and sustainable world. We do this by supporting entrepreneurial actors bringing solutions journalism to new markets, connecting communities of learning to accelerate learning and practice change across networks, and amplifying and disseminating insights to speed innovation in...

Looking to get more involved? Join us! https://www.solutionsjournalism.org/what-you-can-do Find more individuals and organizations committed to creating and sharing solutions journalism. Solutions Journalism is rigorous reporting about responses to society’s problems. It is complete journalism that not only spotlights the problems but follows an evidence-based presentation of existing solutions.

Such reporting enhances knowledge and accountability by providing the whole story to readers and offers constructive content in an age of media apathy. This innovative journalism approach goes beyond simple issue identification and instead focuses on featuring what is already working. It uses the same rigor of investigative reporting to highlight the mechanisms and success factors as well as the limitations of already-existing solutions to well-known problems. As a result, it activates citizens by functioning as a catalyst for accountability that can lead to meaningful change. A problem that was seen as unavoidable comes to be seen as unacceptable. Solutions Journalism covers a wide variety of topics and its approach ranges from identifying cases of positive deviants to exploring new ideas in action to reporting on experiments in progress.

The result is informative, impactful content that strengthens audience engagement re-establishes trust in the media, and increases both readership and revenue. The Four Qualities of Solutions Journalism 1) A solutions story focuses on a RESPONSE to a social problem — and how that response has worked or why it hasn’t. (“howdunnit”)2) The best solutions reporting distills the lessons that makes the response relevant and accessible to others. In other words, it offers INSIGHT.3) Solutions journalism looks for EVIDENCE — data or qualitative results that show effectiveness (or lack thereof).4) Discusses LIMITATIONS or gaps of the approach (no response is perfect!) Sarah Lee AI generated Llama-4-Maverick-17B-128E-Instruct-FP8 6 min read · May 26, 2025

Solutions journalism is a reporting approach that focuses on the responses to social problems, rather than just the problems themselves. It aims to provide a more comprehensive and nuanced understanding of the issues by highlighting the people, organizations, and initiatives working to address them. This approach has its roots in the early 2000s, when a group of journalists and media experts began to explore new ways to cover social issues in a more constructive and impactful way. The Solutions Journalism Network (SJN), a non-profit organization founded in 2013, has been instrumental in promoting and supporting the development of solutions journalism. SJN defines solutions journalism as "rigorous and compelling reporting on the responses to social problems" 1. The organization provides training, resources, and networking opportunities for journalists and media outlets to help them adopt this approach.

Solutions journalism is guided by several key principles, including: The benefits of solutions journalism are numerous. By highlighting the responses to social problems, solutions journalism can: The Solutions Journalism Network (SJN) is an independent, non-profit organization that advocates an approach of solutions journalism, an evidence-based mode of reporting on the responses to social problems. It was founded in 2013 by David Bornstein, Courtney E. Martin, and Tina Rosenberg.

Its staff in New York City and Oakland, California, help journalists and news organizations across the country understand, value, and build the capacity to do solutions-oriented reporting. The mission of SJN is "to spread the practice of solutions journalism: rigorous and compelling reporting about responses to social problems".[1] What SJN calls solutions journalism is preceded by very similar journalistic styles that... The Solutions Journalism Network grew out of the "Fixes" column in The New York Times Opinionator section written by journalists David Bornstein and Tina Rosenberg since October 2010.[2] Together with Courtney Martin, an author,... SJN's first major project was a collaboration with The Seattle Times to produce a year-long series of solutions-oriented stories about public education called Education Lab. This initiative was extended for a second year.[3] In its first year, SJN also launched a series of funds to provide financial support to journalists pursuing solutions stories on topics concerning climate change resilience,... SJN believes that most news reporting fails to fulfill journalism's mission to hold an accurate mirror up to society.

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The Solutions Journalism Network (SJN) Is An Independent, Non-profit Organization

The Solutions Journalism Network (SJN) is an independent, non-profit organization that advocates an approach of solutions journalism, an evidence-based mode of reporting on the responses to social problems. It was founded in 2013 by David Bornstein, Courtney E. Martin, and Tina Rosenberg. Its staff in New York City and Oakland, California, help journalists and news organizations across the country...

SJN's First Major Project Was A Collaboration With The Seattle

SJN's first major project was a collaboration with The Seattle Times to produce a year-long series of solutions-oriented stories about public education called Education Lab. This initiative was extended for a second year.[3] In its first year, SJN also launched a series of funds to provide financial support to journalists pursuing solutions stories on topics concerning climate change resilience,.....

Founded In 2013 By The Award-winning Journalists David Bornstein, Tina

Founded in 2013 by the award-winning journalists David Bornstein, Tina Rosenberg and Courtney Martin, the Solutions Journalism Network includes: The Solutions Story Tracker® is the largest collection of solutions journalism: 17,200 stories produced by 9,700 journalists and 2,140 news outlets from 98 countries. The stories cover responses in 199 countries, in 18 languages. This resource is made pos...

Solutions Journalism Is An Approach To News Reporting That Focuses

Solutions journalism is an approach to news reporting that focuses on the responses to social issues as well as the problems themselves. Solutions stories, anchored in credible evidence, explain how and why responses are working, or not working. The goal of this journalistic approach is to present people with a truer, more complete view of these issues, helping to drive more effective citizenship....

When Possible, Solutions Stories Also Present An Insight That Helps

When possible, solutions stories also present an insight that helps people better understand how complex systems work, and how they can be improved. Proponents of solutions journalism distinguish the approach from so-called "good news" reporting, which can be characterized by a superficial presentation of a response without careful analysis or examination of whether the response is effective. Solu...