BIG NEWS TIME🥳🥳
The results are in from the most expansive research on solutions journalism ever done. Across 638 survey respondents, people consistently rated solutions-focused stories higher than problem-focused ones.
In short, it's
#newsthatworks
. What
@SmithGeiger
found:
People don't see solutions journalism as optional in their local news coverage. It's now a must. Audiences agree that reporting on the problems and what's working to address them combine for a healthy news diet. (2/10)
Solutions journalism consistently displayed an ability to deepen understanding of an issue, and more people said it would "make them watch this station's news more often." It's not a huge margin, as you can see, but every little bit helps. (3/10)
To recap: 638 people across the U.S. were shown a story about a local problem and a story about an effective response to a problem. They were asked how they felt about each.
This one blew us away. (4/10)
It wasn't just trust. The solutions stories consistently ranked higher than the problem-focused stories in virtually *every positive metric* people were asked about. These are just a few. Maybe your newsroom wants these reactions (5/10):
People were asked which words "perfectly describe" the story they just watched. If you want people to think you're making thoughtful or well-crafted work, well... (7/10)
Solutions journalism showed benefits across the board - sometimes by small margins and sometimes by large ones. But what surprised us most is that it didn't seem to matter who was polled. Generally, even in a polarized environment, they all felt the same way (8/10):
Flip through the thread and you'll see solutions journalism building trust, knowledge and more. But we've collected even more in a quick and easy blog post.
In short: News about what's working is
#newsthatworks
for journalists and audiences alike. (9/10)
Convinced yet? We want to help you do this work because we've seen what its impact.
So email us at info
@solutionsjournalism
.org to get your newsroom trained.
Or join our FB group:
Or stay in touch with our newsletters: (10/10)
@soljourno
@SmithGeiger
love this! now how about launching an interactive platform that enables audience consensus on solutions in the public interest: (est. Feb 1997)