Solutions Journalism What Is It And Why Should I Care Medium

Bonisiwe Shabane

-Nov 18, 2025, 6:55 AM

solutions journalism what is it and why should i care medium

Last year, Arete trainer, Peter Burdin, explored how reporting through a solutions journalism lens can avoid creating ‘poverty porn’. In this article, we will dive deeper into this subject, exploring how a solutions journalism approach to content gathering can, amongst other things, combat donor fatigue and garner greater engagement. But before we get into the benefits of a solutions journalism approach and why as a charity or NGO creating your content in this way can be beneficial, let’s first understand: what is solutions... The clue to solutions journalism is in the name; it is the reporting of responses to social issues where people, institutions and/or communities are working towards solutions. A good example of this is in our latest ‘From the photographer’ journal entry by Eden Sparke, which reports on the lack of employment opportunities for women in the DRC and how a scheme... Journalists, charities, and NGOs have for years created content using problem-focussed reporting.

While this form of reporting does an important job of covering the social problems at hand, it doesn’t focus on initiatives that aim to provide help and support. Solutions-based writing refocuses the story on who may be working to solve the issue, as well as how and why the solution may be working (or in some cases, not working). Why is it better to create solutions-based stories? Have you ever finished reading the news and felt… exhausted? It often feels like a constant stream of what’s broken, what’s failing, and who’s to blame. This “if it bleeds, it leads” approach is a cornerstone of traditional journalism, and its role as a watchdog is vital.

But what if it’s only showing us half the picture? What about the responses? This is where a powerful, rigorous, and evidence-based approach called Solutions Journalism comes in. Solutions journalism is rigorous, evidence-based reporting on responses to social problems, focusing on what works, what doesn’t, and why. It’s not “fluff” or “good news” puff pieces. It’s not about finding local heroes and patting them on the back.

Instead, it’s a critical and in-depth investigation of the systems and strategies that are working to solve a problem, providing a more complete and functional view of the world. At its core, solutions journalism shifts the narrative. While traditional reporting often stops at the problem, solutions reporting asks, “Who is doing it better, and how?” Let’s use an example. Imagine a city is facing a massive high school dropout crisis. This second story is fundamentally more useful.

It not only highlights a problem but also provides actionable insights and a sense of agency to other communities facing the same issue. We connect donors to learning resources and ways to support community-led solutions. Learn more about us. Start searching for your way to change the world. 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. Journalists are often frustrated when painstaking investigations of a problem don’t produce change. We expose our city’s failures to save children from lead paint, or to protect high school football players from concussions, or to recover from the closing of a major factory — but, too often,... Now add solutions journalism to the investigation, showing how other cities are solving these problems. That’s profoundly embarrassing to public officials.

Excuses won’t cut it. Change happens. In today’s fast-paced media environment, audiences are constantly exposed to stories of crisis, conflict, and dysfunction. While the role of journalism in uncovering problems is critical, exclusive focus on what’s wrong can leave readers feeling overwhelmed, cynical, or disengaged. Solutions journalism offers an alternative approach. Instead of simply spotlighting failures, it explores how individuals, communities, and institutions are responding to challenges and what can be learned from those efforts.

Solutions journalism does not shy away from difficult issues. On the contrary, it adds depth and balance by showing not only what the problem is, but also what is being done about it. This approach helps restore a sense of agency in the audience, builds trust, and fosters a more constructive public dialogue. Solutions journalism is a form of rigorous reporting that focuses on responses to social problems. It is grounded in evidence and holds solutions to the same standard of scrutiny applied to problems. It is not about promoting positivity or avoiding criticism.

Instead, it aims to present a fuller picture of reality by including how people are working to solve problems, not just how those problems came to be. Core characteristics of solutions journalism include the following: Solutions journalism respects the audience’s intelligence by offering a complex and realistic view of social efforts, rather than easy success stories or uncritical praise. 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!)

Solutions Journalism What Is It And Why Should I Care Medium

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