Solutions Journalism Network

We're working with someone who got linked up with us by finding an SJN-er at a conference, approaching, and saying, "I need your help." It's really that easy! It's getting to be conference season, so we'll be out and about. And we couldn't be more excited to be at the Indigenous Media Conference this week and #NABJ24 next week. If you're at either of those conferences, find your local SJN-er and say hello. Melissa Cassutt and Lagipoiva Dr. Cherelle Jackson will be at IMC, and Ashley Hopkinson, Francine Pope Huff, and Ja'Nel Johnson will be at NABJ. And one day before NABJ starts, we'll also have some folks Northwestern University Medill School's Summer Sojo Summit, a day dedicated to solutions reporting hosted by Deborah Douglas. The lineup is incredible (see: Matt Thompson, John Diedrich, Damaso Reyes, Justin Cook, Jay Allred, Cheryl Dahle and more). It's sold out, but if you're there, let's connect. And remember: "I need your help" IS an acceptable opening line.

We don't usually get to see audiences enjoy solutions journalism — the newsrooms receive that benefit. Instead, we get to watch journalists find and embrace solutions reporting. This year SJN — with nearly five dozen advisors and judges — gave out the first ever Solutions Journalism Network Awards. To celebrate, we talked to a couple of the honorees. If you want to know how solutions journalism can enrich your reporting, Peter Yeung and Helina Selemon are two pretty reliable and informative sources. They and SJN co-founder David Bornstein appear in this video celebrating not just the awards but the impact solutions reporting has had on their work. We aren't going to mince words: In an era with high levels of journalism burnout and swirling questions about the value of our industry, more and more journalists are revitalizing their relationship to journalism with SoJo. Watching that is our prize.

Here's the deal with uncovering problems: It's great, it's necessary, and it's not enough. And here's why. First, it assumes that outrage is enough to solve a problem. Sometimes that's true! But often it's not. Second, that endless flood of unsolved (and seemingly unsolvable) problems contributes to news avoidance and growing distrust in both institutions and each other. Third, that approach has now been weaponized as proof that "the media" have a fear-based agenda or that they're "after" certain people/belief systems. Matthew Kauffman was one of those reporters exclusively chasing down problems and failure in part because he believed that was his duty. Over the past few years, he's learned that it is — but it's not his *only* duty. That's where investigative solutions reporting comes in. By turning your investigative skills toward what's working, you offer people deeper insight into the problem AND a potential path out of it. You help your community understand what's failing AND take away excuses for that failure. You help combat the feeling of powerlessness and overwhelm that many people feel consuming news. Swipe through for some of what Matt has learned about adding solutions reporting to your investigations, and read his recent piece at Alexander Russo's The Grade at the link. His journey might be yours too. https://lnkd.in/dD7DeJeQ

How do you know if you're on the right track with your solutions story? Swati Sanyal Tarafdar is here for you. She noticed something as she learned, then taught others, solutions journalism: Similar questions about how elements of solutions journalism can strengthen stories kept coming up — all over the world. If you've ever found yourself eager to do solutions reporting but wondering if you're on the right track, this is for you: seven FAQs answered by someone experienced in both creating and teaching solutions journalism. Swati's insights are presented with SoJo learners in mind because she was one. Then she pairs that with her skill as a trainer. We know lots of journalists have ideas for a solutions story lingering on a sticky note or laying in a notebook. But getting started can be confusing. Swati's tips are all about helping you structure your story around the pillars of solutions reporting (response, evidence, insights, limitations) without being confined by them. So if you've got questions, just know that the people learning SoJo in Serbia, Nigeria, and Brazil probably have the same ones. Swipe through the illustrations for some scrumptious crumbs of advice, then eat the whole cookie at the link: https://lnkd.in/gkVKfaaG

"[Solutions journalism] shows us that there is something that we can do in our respective work to address these global challenges through our industry [and] through the actions we take every day working in our industries. ... I just acknowledge that climate crisis, biodiversity collapse, homelessness, political divisiveness, all these things that we’re living with … we aren’t paralyzed in the face of this." Business reporters have long been solutions journalism practitioners, even if they didn't know it. Business leaders often know what's wrong and are seeking info about how others have solved it. (As Keith Hammonds and David Bornstein say, there's a reason there's not a business publication called Fast Bankruptcy.) So in their quest to deliver vital news to the industries they cover, business reporters have often sought to answer solutions reporting's central question: "Who's doing it better?" Can more trade reporters use solutions journalism??? Absolutely. Heck, you might already be doing some of it. The quote above is from JoAnna Haugen, who applies a solutions lens to the tourism industry, always asking how it can be done better — not just for the bottom line, but for the communities impacted and the world at large. She spoke with another SoJo practitioner, Kat Friedrich, for ASBPE about what trade reporters from ANY industry can get when they start seeking solutions. https://lnkd.in/eSAqmwXq

Three experts are here to help you level up your journalism skills AND spread strong solutions reporting techniques around the world. Applications are open for the next round of our Train-The-Trainers program. In this cohort, Ja'Nel Johnson, Kyuwon Lee, and Sharon Bloyd-Peshkin will guide you as you become an accredited solutions journalism trainer. On this journey you'll get experienced guest speakers, a community of practice, and what is likely the deepest solutions journalism training you'll find anywhere. Over and over, we hear the same thing: The cycle of reporting what's wrong/failing/awful takes the same toll on journalists as it does on news consumers. But we also hear something else: Solutions reporting offers a way out. Becoming a solutions journalism trainer means not only finding new fulfillment in your work but growing the tools to help others find it too. Can't make this one? Another with different timing is in the pipeline. But if you're ready and able to join the ranks of 100+ accredited SoJo trainers covering six continents and dozens of countries, apply at the link by July 28. https://lnkd.in/gH_y3biM

It's been a ... hectic couple of days. In moments of heightened tension, it can feel like nothing we do in journalism has the power to move things forward. It's true that journalism can't save the world on its own, but that doesn't mean working differently, listening deeply, and convening people in healthy ways doesn't make a difference. Those things are needed desperately right now. In the new "How to SoJo", we talk about why journalism is like gardening, the new application for period for becoming a solutions journalism trainer, SJN's new Climate Peer Network, and so much more. Find people. Make meaningful things. It matters.

Friday is the deadline to apply for "Beyond the Headlines: Co-creating New ASGM Narratives through Solutions Journalism." What's ASGM? That's "artisanal and small-scale gold mining," and up to seven journalists will be selected to travel to the Philippines to explore SoJo and ASGM. This workshop will explore and report on examples of responsible, mercury-free mining practices and opportunities to mitigate environmental impacts of small-scale gold mining while improving livelihoods within ASGM communities. Travel, accommodations, and a small per diem will be provided. Maybe best of all, you'll work with the inimitable Portia Ladrido as you explore this complex issue. Hit the link and apply this week journo friends. https://lnkd.in/gQVQsURT

Last year's Student Media Challenge newsrooms produced a tool for student journalists' mental health, a video game, a resource fair, a massive collaboration, and much more. What will this year's make? Eight new student news outlets have been selected for this year's cohort. They'll spend the year covering youth mental health through a solutions lens with training, funding, and support from SJN. Student media is more important than ever. Sometimes, student outlets are the *only* ones providing trustworthy local news to a region. That so many are embracing solutions reporting means deeper and richer info for those communities. Around youth mental health, this work will point towards promising responses to a seemingly intractable problem. Welcome this year's selected schools/outlets: California State University, Long Beach Philip Merrill College of Journalism - University of Maryland Savannah State University Hilltop Views The Stanford Daily The Temple News The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Baltimore Watchdog Learn more about their plans here: https://lnkd.in/df6nKdT8

We've got some news. Welcome Amy Brady to SJN!