Tips and Insights for Climate Solutions Practice

The Solutions Journalism Network’s 2022-23 Climate Solutions Cohort was a diverse and talented group of 20 journalists who came together virtually for a year to write climate solutions pieces and, along the way, work toward a solutions journalism practice that comprises new ways of engaging with the communities journalists cover. That shift requires empathy, self-reflection and an honest reckoning with how the mainstream version of media culture has led to the alienation of many groups whose voices (historically and currently) have not been heard or represented.

This cohort wrestled with core questions such as: How do you build trust with communities that are not yours? How do you tell their stories without being extractive or exploitative? How do you honor the lived experience of communities by centering their definitions of real solutions?

Individually and collectively, these 20 journalists worked toward a living, breathing partnership with their audiences, using approaches that have been forged in the crucible of community-based journalism, especially by the Black press. In this guide, you’ll find insights and lessons from four of the cohort members, which we hope will help you deepen your solutions practice as well.