What is the need for Solutions Journalism?

… A learning experience that I learnt from the booklet Solutions Journalism

 

 

Journalism’s predominant theory of change is that pointing out social problems will spur reform. Journalists act as whistle-blowers and expose wrongdoing in society, but have little role to play beyond that.

 

This theory of change is insufficient.

 

It is increasingly inadequate for journalists to simply note what’s wrong and hope for society to create better laws or provide proper oversights. The world’s problems are just too complex and fast-changing. People must learn about credible examples of responses to problems in order to become empowered, discerning actors capable of shaping a better society. In this context, journalism must augment its traditional role, spotlighting adaptive responses to entrenched social ills.

 

Solution journalism makes existing journalism more accurate and complete. Journalism that fails to cover responses to social problems provides an inaccurate and biased view of reality – one that can actually harm society. By regularly highlighting problems and ignoring responses to them, journalists convey a false sense that people haven’t tried to fix things, or don’t know how to do any better.

 

These stories are structured as “Howdunnits,” – someone achieved results that are newsworthy; what did they do that others did not?  Solution stories are more likely to be shared on social media. This partly makes the readers, listeners or viewers feel powerful, less likely to tune out, and less apathetic about problems.

 

By showing how different institutions approach problems, solution journalism can advance the public discourse. Rather than only focussing on what “he said, she said”, delving into the voices of the people is important. People and institutions don’t change the system just because a journalist points out their problems – they try to counter with what they did statements; they need models for change – so do societies.