Please read the instructor's welcome message for the Introduction Module
Welcome to “Solutions Journalism: New Ways of Elevating Your Reporting and Engaging Audiences," organized by the Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas, in partnership with the Solutions Journalism Network, with financial support from the Knight Foundation. I’m Hugo Balta, the Lead Instructor, and I look forward to guiding you through this course.
Studies show that people almost a third of their day consuming content. Regardless of the platform, people are constantly absorbing and learning new information. Still, a Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism showed that a growing number of people actively avoid the news. The survey also found that trust in news is also declining.
Solutions Journalism is a global shift in journalism, focused on what the news often misses: how people try to solve problems and what we can learn from their successes or failures. Solutions journalism outlines responses to social problems that aren’t only uplifting; they’re success stories that increase audience engagement and provide unique insight.
During this wide-reaching four-week course, you will learn why covering problems but not responses omit vast areas of human activity and perpetuate misleading beliefs about reality. You’ll also learn how to sharpen your reporting skills and hear from journalists and operatives in the field who will share proven strategies covering creative problem-solving activity that adds depth, contrast, and variety to your work and may reveal hidden assumptions or blind spots. Specific takeaways include how solutions journalism is a more useful feedback mechanism for society, reveals hidden opportunities for social change, and restores the public’s trust.
Start by checking out the syllabus for the course, which lays out our goals and what we’ll go over each week. You can find it here. Then be sure to look at the introductory reading materials, which set out to highlight what solutions journalism is (and isn’t), how it can improve your reporting, and strengthen communities.