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Journalism · MS elective · 3 credit hours · 16 sessions

Solutions Journalism & Constructive Reporting

“If it bleeds, it leads” is a broken model. This course teaches a rigorous reporting approach that investigates responses to social problems, not just the problems themselves. It is not “good news” or fluff; it is critical journalism that asks “Who is fixing this, and does it work?” Students will learn the “Four Pillars” of Solutions Journalism: Response, Insight, Evidence, and Limitations.

§ 01 By the end you can
  1. Differentiate between Solutions Journalism, Advocacy, and "Good News" (Puff pieces)
  2. Apply the Four Pillars: Response, Insight, Evidence, and Limitations
  3. Conduct interviews focused on "How" rather than just "What"
  4. Report on systemic failures by analyzing successful outliers (Positive Deviance)
  5. Measure the impact of constructive reporting on audience engagement and trust
§ 02 Sixteen sessions

The whole semester.

  1. 01The Negativity Bias: Why News Depresses Us
  2. 02Defining Solutions Journalism (SoJo)
  3. 03The Four Pillars of SoJo
  4. 04Distinguishing SoJo from Advocacy & PR
  5. 05Finding the Story: "Positive Deviance"
  6. 06The "Response" Pillar: Focusing on the Mechanism
  7. 07The "Evidence" Pillar: Data over Anecdote
  8. 08 · MidtermMidterm Examination
  9. 09The "Insight" Pillar: Search for Reproducibility
  10. 10The "Limitations" Pillar: Critical nuance
  11. 11Interviewing Solvers: Asking "How" questions
  12. 12Visualizing Solutions: Data & Graphics
  13. 13Case Study: Education & Healthcare Reporting
  14. 14Engaging Audiences through Constructive News
  15. 15Pitching Solutions Stories to Editors
  16. 16Final Project: The Solutions-Oriented Feature

Midterm around session 8. Final project briefed at session 8 or 9 and developed in stages until the juries.

§ 03 Final project

Final Project: The Solutions-Oriented Feature

How it’s judged

Recommended reading
  1. Solutions Journalism by Bill Benesch
  2. Factfulness: Ten Reasons We're Wrong About the World by Hans Rosling
  3. You Are What You Read by Jodie Jackson
  4. Constructive News by Ulrik Haagerup
  5. Journalism of Attachment (Contextual counter-point) by Martin Bell
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