What was your favorite 2022 solutions story?

This is a newsletter for people interested in rethinking the role of journalism. It features a couple things we think you should know each week related to solutions journalism. Our aim? To be thought-provoking and/or laugh-inducing every Wednesday. If someone forwarded you this email, you can sign up here.

|| January 18, 2023

Humblebrag: There’s more solutions journalism to appreciate than ever. But that means creating a year-end “best of SJ” list has grown pretty much impossible. So last year, we tried something different. Instead of trying to gather up “the best,” we asked, “What was your favorite solutions story?” People sent in such wonderful suggestions that we’re doing it again.

We want to know which solutions journalism story from 2022 stuck with you. Which one moved you? Which one are you still thinking about, weeks or months later? Which one should people absolutely read if they haven’t? The only rules are: It's solutions journalism; it's from 2022; and, while we normally love your bragging about yourself, please submit someone else’s story.

Tell us your choice here. We’ll pair some of your favorites with some staff picks to create a post in the coming weeks. And scroll below for some resources that will help you make memorable stories of your own.

— Allen Arthur
SJN online engagement manager

P.S. Next week, SJN will have its first all-team retreat in three years, so look for Above the Fold again on Wednesday, Feb. 1.

CLIMATE SOJO DONE WELL, PART 2

In last week’s Above the Fold, we shared that we’re teaming up with Covering Climate Now for a climate solutions reporting webinar. If you’re reading this before noon EST on Jan. 19, there’s still time to join! But if not — or if you watched and you’re craving the next step — Covering Climate Now has released its brand new Climate Solutions Reporting Guide. This is a concise, tip-filled resource that answers a lot of questions we hear about climate solutions journalism. Dig into this authoritative and accessible tool here.

DON'T MISS THE NEXT SJN FELLOWSHIP

Last year, SJN teamed up with Hearken, Poynter, Trusting News and Good Conflict to support newsrooms in creating more holistic election reporting. This year, we’re joining up again for the Advancing Democracy Fellowship. This fellowship will support U.S. reporters and editors using innovative approaches that build civic engagement, equity and healthy discourse. To celebrate the fellowship’s launch and answer questions journalists might have, we’re co-hosting a kick-off "Ask Me Anything" session on Jan. 31. If you can’t make it to that, fear not! You can also sign up for fellowship updates here.

NETWORK NEWS
A well-meaning but totally non-comprehensive guide to what’s happening around and for the network

The Seattle Times is hiring a reporter for its renowned Education Lab vertical. Solutions journalism familiarity is a huge plus here.
Students’ Media and Information Literacy Club in Africa has put out a call for volunteers in Nigeria. Those selected will get a training from The Solutions Paper and have solutions journalism stories published by the outlet.
Sanne Breimer, solutions journalism trainer and all-around deep journalism thinker, announced that she is “organizing a retreat for women who work in journalism, media or content creation. This time, there will be an extra focus on [solutions journalism] and the importance of inclusion and decoloniality.”
Hearken CEO Jennifer Brandel wrote a blog post covering some of the many important lessons journalists can get from the book “High Conflict” by Amanda Ripley, creator of the incredibly popular Complicating the Narratives approach to reporting on conflict.

Have something you want featured here? Drop me a line: Allen@solutionsjournalism.org

"Reporting on solutions does not mean downplaying the dangers, sugar-coating the facts, or urging a particular outcome. It means telling the entire climate story and helping audiences and policymakers make informed choices about what to do going forward.

Solutions reporting is not just good journalism; it’s also what news consumers say they want. They find solutions-focused stories more engaging than traditional problem-focused journalism, as well as more relevant to their own lives."

- Covering Climate Now's new solutions reporting guide