Welcome!
We are a team of Michigan State University School of Journalism master’s students led by Dr. Serena Miller in her Media, Society, & Theory class. We reviewed academic research on solutions journalism and conducted our own research on the emerging approach. Specifically, we investigated the rigors of solutions journalism; how the journalists and the public is reacting to it and barriers to adoption among the journalistic community.
Our Goals
A growing movement exists to increase dialogue about research outside of academic journals in order to communicate academia’s relevance to the profession of journalism. We wanted to share that knowledge with solutions journalism leaders, educators and journalists. We hope that our bridging and engagement efforts will serve people seeking to learn and advance solutions journalism.
Members
Tasia Bass has her juris doctor from Michigan State University’s College of Law and hopes to combine her law degree with the world of journalism. She wants to write and produce her own news style show one day. She is also a comedian and an avid gamer that streams on Twitch. She appreciates learning about solutions journalism because she liked the idea of approaching news in different ways.
Whitney McDonald has been studying journalism at Michigan State University since 2015. The opportunity to study the changes in solutions journalism in the media has been interesting and enlightening about the field of journalism.
Denise Spann is a former member of Michigan State’s women’s varsity track and field team. She is a lover of all things sports, pop culture and social media. Spann graduated with her bachelor’s degree in journalism with a concentration in sports in 2019. Currently, Spann is pursuing her master’s degree in journalism as a graduate assistant for MSU Athletics, while freelancing for various sports outlets. She appreciates the solutions journalism approach because it provides a new way for the industry to evolve and regain the trust of the people.
Indri Maulidar is from Indonesia and currently studying science journalism. She said she has learned more about solutions journalism in her first semester than during her four-year career working as a reporter. She loves to play Monopoly.
Weiting Du is a newcomer in the field of journalism because he has a background in Environmental and Ecological Engineering. He would like to eventually earn a Ph.D. degree. He is interested in solutions journalism because of its comprehensive approach to reporting including its goal of providing insights on issues. He is a big fan of Arsenal, David Lynch’s Twin Peaks, Life is Strange, Chinese Wuxia films, Hong Kong crime films, Taiwan New Wave films and Galaxie 500.
Alec Reo is a journalism master’s student studying broadcast and sports journalism. He appreciates journalism because it enables him to express his creativity through multiple mediums and connect with people from all walks of life. He is interested in solutions journalism because he believes that this method of reporting could address negative perceptions of journalism. He loves all Detroit sports and enjoys all types of music.
Zholdas Sakenovich Orisbayev has been reporting for different media outlets in Kazakhstan for more than five years. He is currently learning documentary filmmaking and digital media journalism at MSU, while also freelance writing for informburo.kz. He believes that journalism is not only about reporting the facts but it is also about engaging and collaborating with the public.
