Author Archives: Tom Glaisyer

Solutions Journalism

Convener: Sarah van Gelder, YES! Magazine

  • Dave Gordon, Chippewa Valley Post
  • Cali, High Country News, C.O.
  • Tom Stites, Banyan Project
  • Peggy Holman, JTM Co-founder

Questions discussed

  • To some extent the the traditional story structure of winner / lose with which we are all familiar came out who joined the the profession post-Watergate.
  • Journalistic respect traditionally goes to those who take people down (including in journalism)
  • Putting out solutions puts you in a much more vulnerable position

On the solutions side of journalism there are two levels
1. Specific stories
2. Showing a larger picture of a sustainable society.

Is it comparable to peace journalism that identifies all the stakeholders and not frame as a conflict but as something that is debated?

Examples:

  • Solutions Journalism Network,
  • Axiomnews, http://axiomnews.ca/ – Uses appreciative inquiry as the basis. They charge their clients for covering them as journalists.
  • Macrosopic journalism – Where you are part of the story not outside of the story.

Existing journalism -> Takes the status quo as the target, with everything else a disruption. Whereas solutions journalism looks more productively at the future.

Solutions journalism encourages action can you set up partnerships to perform action.