When Solutions and Journalism Collide
Solutions Journalism is a form of media that emerged out of a desire to provide actionable solutions and positive conversation to news media outlets. This need for Solutions Journalism came about due to the never ending “negative storytelling” model that media and audiences have come to embrace. Although it has been criticized for placing “undue responsibility on journalists for correcting global ills”, Solutions Journalism prides itself on providing effective strategies towards solutions for communities, giving new perspectives and shifting the conversations about communities that mainly targets in negative news media.
Solutions Journalism also provides a different viewpoint of journalists for the audiences that they present too. For many years, media news outlets have been viewed as talebearers or bearers of bad news. However, with this style of media presentation having its roots in civic and peace journalism, it provides a new representation of journalists as those that present solutions to the issues that they report about.
While Solutions Journalism cannot be a “cure-all” to the many issues that plague our various communities, it has been and will continue to provide a voice to those that wish to share the bright side of their story.