Impact Stories

Over five months in 2022, the Bonn Institute, in partnership with the Rheinische Post Mönchengladbach, a local news outlet, ran an experiment to test the benefits of solutions journalism on monetization. Built around a sample of 20 solutions stories, the research assessed their performance, finding that: a) solutions articles attracted three times the number of engaged users compared with other articles behind the paywall; b) readers of solutions articles had a 27 percent higher average session duration compared with all other users; and c) paying users read those articles an average of 9 percent longer than all other content behind the paywall. Lisa Urlbauer, the Bonn Institute's head of journalism training, said the experiment was about “trying out new approaches and gaining insights into how journalism can be developed in such a way that it remains relevant and is also worthwhile for media companies.”

“Solution-based articles help me think about issues in a more holistic way,” said Ken Magri, a freelance reporter who writes for the Sacramento News & Review, one of the members of the solutions-focused Solving Sacramento news collaborative. Prior to learning about this approach, he wondered why journalism was often negative, especially after hearing a psychiatrist say watching less news every day could curb depression. Now he applies the solutions-based formula to more topics, seeking to “offer a more balanced reading experience for readers.” He considers it a more complete form of journalism, and said the kinds of questions it raises during the editing process have made him a better journalist. His stories have covered the city’s production of affordable housing and the role of cannabis dispensaries in moving toward social equity goals.

Keyshawn Davis (2023): In December 2023, Solving Sacramento, the solutions-oriented news collaborative in California's state capital, hired Keyshawn Davis as a part-time general assignment reporter. He had previously written as a freelancer for The Sacramento Observer, the city’s Black newspaper, while studying at the local state university, which he graduated from in May 2023. “Solving Sacramento and The Observer are excellent for journalism students who want to learn and get entry-level experience with professional publications,” said Davis. Sena Christian, project manager for the collaborative, said, “When he pitches stories, he always comes from a solutions approach.” While his reporting has focused primarily on housing issues in the Black community, one of his solutions-oriented stories looked at a program providing health checks to pets that belong to unhoused people.

9 Millones, a digital publication focused on telling stories that matter to the Puerto Rican community, has published several stories on how women in Vieques, an island that is part of Puerto Rico, politically engage around environmental and land management issues that adversely affect the local population. As a result of this reporting and community engagement work, the publication received two grants. The first, from the local María Fund nonprofit, provided $30,000 in funding over two years. The second came from the USC Annenberg Center for Health Journalism’s 2023 Impact Fund for Reporting on Health Equity and Health Systems. 9 Millones received $9,000 to engage with the local community, write solutions stories such as “Amid lack of services, this organization is supporting cancer patients in Vieques,” and receive mentorship.

A digital publication focused on telling stories that matter to the Puerto Rican communities on the islands and in the U.S., 9 Millones earned the trust of local community organizers. After producing a solutions-oriented series of articles about the Alianza de Mujeres Viequenses’ community organizing around environmental issues and land use policies affecting the local population in Vieques, its journalists returned to present their work to people they had interviewed. The coverage, as well as their effort to transparently present their reporting process and its outcomes, led sources to express appreciation for the role of 9 Millones, as a small independent media outlet, in fairly representing their voices, activities and purpose. One person said they found the journalism “enriching” and another that they valued the trust built through the careful development of relationships with local people. The community organization Alianza de Mujeres Viequenses received funding from Puerto Rican foundations after it used the reporting in which it was featured to showcase the value of its work.

After taking the online course on solutions journalism hosted by the Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas, conservation biologist James Hall incorporated the approach for a story he wrote for the environmental journalism site Mongabay. The story, which focused on the conservation efforts of a small NGO in Colombia called Techo de Agua (Roof of Water), prompted an alliance between the NGO and local researchers, aimed at finding real-world solutions for conservation efforts. “This alliance allows for our research and methodologies for the conservation and management of conflicts between wildlife and human communities to be recognized as products of scientific, academic and practical interest,” said Mayra Natalia Parra Salazar, general director of the NGO, who told the Knight Center that a university professor who directs a research group contacted her to form an alliance after reading Hall’s article. She also said, "that our story was made known in many places thanks to James Hall’s article allowed our actions to have greater credibility,” she added. (This information was abbreviated from Teresa Mioli's story for LatAm Journalism Review.)