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We’ve found that to explain what solutions journalism is, it’s often effective to offer examples of what it isn’t. Here are seven types of solutions journalism impostors we’ve all seen in the media before.
Hero Worship
These are stories that celebrate or glorify an individual, often at the expense of explaining the idea the individual exemplifies. Instead of talking about the merits of an approach an individual is advancing, the piece might gush about the person’s decision to leave a high-paying job to save the world.
Silver Bullet
These stories are often seen in the tech and innovation sections. They describe new gadgets in glowing terms – referring to them, for example, as “lifesavers.” Also, a note: Money is sometimes considered a silver bullet.
Favor for a Friend
You can sometimes distinguish this impostor because the sole or predominant voice is that of the organization being profiled. Like the silver bullet story, it doesn’t have much in the way of a ‘to be sure’ paragraph–i.e. the caveats to success–and appears as thinly veiled PR.
Think Tank
Opinion journalism can explore solutions if it contains real reporting about existing responses to problems (and the results). But “think tank journalism” refers to journalism that proposes things that don’t yet exist.
Instant Activist
A lot of people think, when seeing the phrase ‘solutions journalism,’ that we’re promoting pieces that ask the reader to click a button at the end and give $5 to a cause. These stories offer an emotional plea and then ask for support for a specific cause, as a means to “solve” the issue.
The Afterthought
This is a paragraph or sound bite at the end of a problem story that gives lip service to efforts at solving it. The solutions aren’t considered with real seriousness, but rather thrown in as an afterthought.
The Heart-Warmer
This kind of journalism is quirky and one-off. It often appears at the end of the evening news or on Thanksgiving, in the form of a kid with a lemonade stand or a guy who made a wheelchair for his beloved pig (the pig is, somewhat ironically, named “Chris P. Bacon”). It tells the viewer that the world has good people doing cute things, but doesn’t get to the structural issues that we want solutions journalism to address.
Joel Viets
I feel like there should be a test with numerous kinds of solution journalism, and imposters so we can go through and learn to pick out what is solution journalism, vs the imposters. It could be a great way to learn to be objective is my thoughts.
Blayne Thornton Thornton
For each non example, it would have been cool to see more examples. Some of them did have examples, but some were lacking. Other than that, I enjoy the fact that I am given the information to understand what is Solutions Journalism and what isn't.
Judy Mwongela
I guess a one hit wonder story or in other words hit and run story wont serve as solution oriented one. I think a solution story should have a long term effect and not only serve an instant need then dissolves a good example can be the different
Ify Yusuf
It would have been nice to have samples of each headings in a link
Suagat Bolakhe
We always tend to provide like afterthought in the pieces we write. It looks surely not a solution story I guess. Solution story needs a significant portion of solution, its impacts, good context of the idea itself, good intro of the creator but not overpraising him/her. Right?
Mohammed horibe
ماذا عن استخدام الصيغ الجافة في سرد المشكلة دون التطرق لأي اقتراحات
Svet Lustig
What if a reporter thinks of something that has never been implemented before ? If the solution is substantiated, and it is explained why this has not been implemented, can this not be solutions journalism?
Svet Lustig
What if a reporter thinks of something that has never been implemented before ? If the solution is substantiated, and it is explained why this has not been implemented, can this not be solutions journalism?
Felicia Gaddis
@willdriscoll I agree that discussing the 10 ideas is important and that that discussion needs to be done publically and that journalism is the vehicle by which it should be done. But maybe Solutions Journalism kicks in after the discussion has already taken place. That it is only one spoke in a wheel of options available to find solutions to problems.
Will Driscoll
It seems there's something you don't like about journalism that proposes something that doesn't yet exist ("think tank journalism"). Is that because you think such writing should be published as an op-ed instead? Or perhaps you believe that an idea is only worth writing about if it has been tried. What if it takes discussion of 10 ideas before identifying three worth trying, and then trying those three ideas to find the one that works best. Should journalists turn their backs on the "discussion of 10 ideas" phase?
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