Impact Stories

Reasons to be Cheerful, a digital publication dedicated to solutions journalism received $30,000 in funding from the Wellcome trust to produce “The Great Recovery,” a reporting project examining “how a surge in innovation, outreach, access and attention to equity is improving [U.S.] mental health systems.” The grant covers costs for story production and promotion, as well as subsequent impact tracking. The series of seven stories ran over the course of two weeks between August and September. The proposal to funders emphasized the need to shift the incomplete narrative about “countries across the world buckling under the weight of a mental health crisis,” by telling a fuller story that includes viable responses. In supporting this work, the trust recognized that stories of positive changes are lacking in the broader media narrative about mental health system failures.

Faced with rising suicide rates in Sedgwick County, Kansas, the Wichita Journalism Collaborative produced a solutions-focused zine in partnership with the local university’s mental health professionals and the local arts community. Titled “How To Talk About Feeling Bad: Mental health, suicide prevention and community care,” the zine, published in English, Spanish and Vietnamese, drew on research and personal stories to provide tips on best practices. The event organized to launch the publication attracted a crowd of 85 people from the community, and over 2,000 copies were distributed throughout the greater Wichita area.

Beginning in April 2023, the Connecticut and Long Island public radio station WSHU launched the “Trash Talkin’ ” series, focused on the local impact of waste issues. Monthly meetings with community members, as well as engagement via the station’s website, Facebook page and a live blog are core pieces of the solutions-oriented editorial project. This approach, anchored in listening to people affected by or interested in questions about trash, has led to the production of dozens of stories, including from successful freedom of information requests instigated through collaboration with the public. The reporting led to the issue of waste becoming central in talking points around an electoral campaign for executive roles in Suffolk County, according to J.D. Allen, WSHU’s managing editor. This extensive community engagement has led to a growing audience composed of people who were previously unaware of the station’s existence and is being replicated across other projects pursued by the local NPR affiliate.

The impact of solutions stories has been so positive that staff members at The Citizen Bulletin, a hyperlocal digital publication based in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe’s second-largest city, are reluctant to share problem-focused stories with their community of readers, according to Divine Dube, the editorial director. Following the publication of stories such as “Gwanda Women Revolutionise Diaper Disposal With Eco-Conscious Solution” and “Home-made Sanitary Ware Empowers Girls To Stay in School,” an increasing number of engaged readers have grown the Bulletin’s WhatsApp community by 2%-5%, or 20-50 people, per month. Sharing articles about responses to social issues has led to more dynamic discussions in the group and “sparked lively debates, invigorating our reporters with fresh perspectives and story ideas for future reporting endeavors,” said Dube.

In March 2023, Gambit, an alt-weekly in New Orleans, hosted “Solutions on the Half Shell,” a public celebration of reporting on how Indigenous fishermen working in the oyster industry are adapting to coastline changes linked to climate change. Members of the United Houma Nation were present to discuss their work, and John Stanton, editor of Gambit, reported that in the week following the event, the publication saw its highest number of new membership sign-ups to date.

"Finding Peace During War,” a solutions story by Chris Killian and Ben Lando, won first place in the Local News Media Feature Story category of the Michigan Press Association awards. The story, by NowKalamazoo, a local publication in Kalamazoo, Michigan, was published in partnership with The Trace, a nonprofit newsroom that shines a light on the U.S. gun violence crisis. NowKalamazoo is part of the Mental Wellness Project, a solutions-oriented journalism initiative covering mental health issues in Southwest Michigan, created by the Southwest Michigan Journalism Collaborative, which was launched with support from SJN’s Local Media Project.