Basic Toolkit

Steps to Creating a Solutions Story

Identify an issue or question of concern (e.g., climate change, public safety, low graduation rates).
Ask yourself: What’s missing in the public conversation? Is there a lack of awareness about the problem? Is there some awareness, but insufficient outrage? If so, traditional journalism that exposes the problem may be the best course. But if the missing parts of the public conversation include “What could be done about this? Who is doing a better job handling this problem?”, then it’s a good candidate for a solutions journalism inquiry.

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» How Do I Find A Solutions-Oriented Story?

Start hunting for candidates for solutions journalism stories. Are there places that have consistently done better than average? Are there any noteworthy responses to the problem? See our tips in the section, “How do I find a solutions-oriented story” to guide you.

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» How Do I Conduct Interviews For A Solutions-Oriented Story?

» How Do I Structure A Solutions-Oriented Story?

Select a story to highlight using old-fashioned journalism judgment. You can use our Five Criteria and the section “How do I vet a solutions-oriented story?” to help think through this. Keep in mind: Is there evidence of success? Is the evidence credible? Is it a one-off or are there lessons others could benefit from? If the story is happening outside your community, can you give it local relevance by framing it as something your community needs to know about?

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» Five Criteria

» How Do I Vet a Solutions-Oriented Story?

Report the story. Use our resources, “How do I conduct a solutions- oriented interview?” and “How do I structure a solutions journalism story?” for this. If there are multiple responses that are working in different ways, this may be a candidate for a larger series on the issue.
At some point in this process, you’ll want to be in touch with an editor. If you work in a newsroom, you’ll probably develop these ideas with an editor. If you’re a freelancer, see our resource, “How do I pitch a solutions-oriented story?”

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» How Do I Pitch A Solutions-Oriented Story?

Once your story is published, you’ll want to think about promoting it and engaging with your readers/listeners/viewers.

6 Comments

Sophie Fung

Karis Balôck: "I wonder if a systematic and qualitative approach to "problems Journalism" exists ? Reporting accurately on problems may also be the pathway to better solutions journalism." Yes, we teach some of these aspects at high school level, we look at different kinds of reporting on the same issue and evaluate them in a comparative analysis. We look at the lexical field and the information that is given (or not)... we look at the cultural bias for example... I mean, there is an etiquette in journalism, but it's outrageously easy to find "reporters" stepping all over it.
Blayne Thornton Thornton

Very well put explanations on how to set up and for creating a Solutions Journalism Story. A great tool to use if you are starting out.
Karis Balôck

I wonder if a systematic and qualitative approach to "problems Journalism" exists ? Reporting accurately on problems may also be the pathway to better solutions journalism.
Johnstone Kpilaakaa

I'm preparing for my first solution journalism story and I find this really helpful.
Richard Abam

Very interesting. I am attracted to SJ. I am in.
Chidindu Mmadu-Okoli

I found this meaningful. Thank you

Resources

TAKE NOTE!

These steps may come in a different order, depending on how you receive information. You may hear about a promising solution first, and then back up to find the extent of the underlying problem. You may hear about a city/county that has bucked a particular trend, and then learn about how they did it. Or, you may hear first about a problem and then work to uncover an existing response. You may also choose to talk to an editor much earlier in the process than we indicated.

"Follow your questions. Every story I’ve ever done really comes from one place. What am I curious about? What am I interested in? What seems strange to me? What do I want to know about? That’s it. That’s where you start. What’s intriguing to you? What seems like a screaming problem or an area nobody has looked at? That’s the first place to look. Solutions journalism is just telling a wider story. Fill out the other side. What is the problem..."