is Solutions Journalism an Answer for the Media Today?

In September, the CBC radio show Out in the Open broadcast a piece about how difficult it is for homeless women to get sanitary napkins or tampons when they get their periods.

The piece, which was reprised in December, described how shelters and food banks can provide food and other items, but usually can’t provide the one thing that poor, homeless women need the most when they menstruate. 

This leads to all sorts of challenges and problems, including putting their health and well-being at risk.

It was a fine piece of journalism, bringing to our attention a serious problem in desperate need of fixing.

But when the piece came to an end, it just ended. It offered no solutions or ways for listeners to help.

During the reprise broadcast, the producer noted that the piece had provoked a lot of feedback. It even prompted some Canadians to donate menstrual supplies to homeless shelters.

This caused the host of the show to note, with what seemed a bit of surprised satisfaction, that “it is a thing in journalism to try to spur people to make the world a better place and change things.”

If that’s the case, it’s more by accident than design.

For the majority of reporters, their only job is to report the story. They may hope that someone might follow up on an issue that needs attention, but it’s not their job to promote those actions.

Once the report is finished, their work is done. After that, it’s up to media consumers to figure out on their own how to take it from there.

The only exception to this rule is exceptional cases of national or international emergency—like last spring’s Fort McMurray wildfire.

Then the media may encourage people to respond, providing the names of organizations accepting donations, or other ways to help.

But most news report just end with no solutions, like the piece about periods.

If someone wants “to make the world a better place,” they are on their own.

But is that good enough anymore?

A new way of thinking about journalism says no.

Called Solutions Journalism, and sponsored by the Solutions Journalism Network, its goal is to help journalists “overcome their professional discomfort with reporting about creative responses to problems.”

“How do we help journalists tell whole stories?” they ask. 

“Not just stopping after revealing a deficiency, but looking further into how people are trying to construct solutions?”

They also aims to help journalists report on potential solutions “without engaging in overly-simplified ‘good news’ or ‘hero-oriented’ reporting.”

This kind of reporting, they go on to say “should never take the form of advocacy, but rather sound coverage of problem solving.”

It should be “top-notch story-driven journalism that helps society understand how problems are being addressed, looking at ideas and models that show promise based on evidence and data.”

What do you think? Can this work? Can the media move beyond just giving people information, and start providing ways to fix problems as well? Should it?

At a time when many people are turning away from the media because they are tired of being told all the time how bad things are, providing solutions to some of our most intractable problems might be a way for journalism to reclaim its important place in society.

It might be worth a try.