Solutions Journalism Network

We're starting the year with a deadline, but fear not! It's one centered around helping your newsroom make money. We're teaming up with Blue Engine Collaborative to launch a series of revenue accelerators centered around solutions journalism. In short, if you want to do (or are already doing) solutions journalism, we're going to try to help you turn that into newsroom funding. That includes from your community, philanthropy, partnerships and more. The deadline for round one is Jan. 17, but you can also express interest in future rounds. We're doing this across 2025, so find the strategy you want to pursue and get in touch at the links below.

As 2024 ends, we're looking back at what *solutions journalism* accomplished this year. We don't just have to look at what SJN itself accomplished, which of course we're very proud of. We can also look at how the practice itself has made an impact. In fact, that's the best part of building a network: watching other people and organizations shine as we all walk toward a goal together. Some recent impact examples we helped fund; others, we weren't involved in. Some we built toward with news outlets; others took us all by surprise. Some allowed newsrooms to run better or grow more successful; some allowed important pieces of the community do the same. 2024 wasn't a straight line. It was a patchwork quilt of success and struggle, stitched whole by incredible journalists, media makers, educators, and supporters who can't wait to welcome others in. Put it all together, and there's plenty to help us all stay warm. Check out some exciting examples of solutions journalism's impact below, and catch dozens more at https://lnkd.in/g5DB2-XP

Heads up on a quick, concise, and useful resource you might have missed. Journalist and SJN HEAL Fellow Julia Métraux dropped this guide on how to cover how young people convene and interact around disability and chronic illness online. It includes language suggestions, tips, and important things to remember, all drawn from her years of experience working in this space. And while it might feel niche, there are pearls of wisdom in here for any journalist trying to build meaningful relationships with communities who might (understandably) be skeptical of journalism. Give it a look. https://lnkd.in/gWerJzne

The latest round of SJN's Train-the-trainers cohort is now open for applications. What is it?  - Five three-hour sessions encompassing some of the deepest solutions journalism training anywhere, with a focus on learning how to train others. What are the requirements?  - You need a plan/opportunities to teach solutions journalism and the ability to make all the sessions. Who should apply?  - Any journalist, educator, or media maker who wants to help spread solutions reporting. This is GLOBAL. Want to apply? Hit the link. Not ready or able to do this one? A new one will arise in just a couple months. https://lnkd.in/gn4WTzcx

We've shared lots of fresh news and tools this week, but we want to close out with one more bit: the newest Train-the-Trainers cohort! These *16* journalists represent three continents, an array of roles, and a heck of a lot of commitment. They've spent chunks of the past couple weeks digging deeply in to solutions journalism. They've shared their knowledge with us and each other. They're adapting the best practices for teaching solutions journalism to their own local contexts and needs. We are grateful they've taken an interest in solutions reporting and shared some of their time with us. After this week, they'll begin organizing their own SoJo trainings and hopefully make their role as an accredited solutions journalism trainer official. Welcome to the latest class! Ahmed Mohsen, Catriona Forrest, Chhavi Sachdev, David Campbell, David Lyons, JAVIER SILAS OMAGOR, Jefferson Massah, KEVINE OMOLLO, Kimika Tonuma, Kiundu Waweru, Maryna Smahina, Miriam Richter, Nina Zorman, Rahma Diaa, Rishu Nigam, and Sweta Daga. https://lnkd.in/gx5ghsqq

Five newsrooms spent most of a year using solutions journalism to make $$$. The results are out. With plenty of experimentation to draw from, the Solutions Journalism Revenue Beacon newsrooms have gotten together to write about what they did, what worked well, what could have gone better and what they learned while trying to turn solutions reporting into funding. If different ways of reporting are going to stick, they have to be able to help an outlet survive and thrive. This crew explored how SoJo can connect to grant funding, individual donations, and membership plans. And you can learn from them. Swipe through for a summary, then get the full recap at the link, complete with tons of suggestions and insights from the newsrooms — WSHU Public Radio, AL.com, Civil Eats, The Keene Sentinel, and The Dallas Morning News/KERA – North Texas Public Broadcasting. And let's not forget the revenue coaches: Virginia Arrigucci, Joaquin Alvarado, Claudia Laws, and Joe Whitwell: https://lnkd.in/gq9YMMNh BONUS! If all that has you thinking about how *your* newsroom can turn solutions journalism into funding, apply for the brand new Solutions Journalism Revenue Accelerators. SJN and Blue Engine Collaborative will lead four separate accelerators, each supporting eight to 12 news organizations and focusing on a specific revenue stream, including sponsorship, consumer revenue and philanthropy. Selected newsrooms will get: - Nine months of support to build expertise in solutions journalism and revenue strategies;   - Coaching and training from SJN and Blue Engine experts; - The opportunity to apply for up to $10,000 in funding for solutions journalism and/or sponsorship efforts during the Accelerator; - More perks along the way. Apply for the first round: https://lnkd.in/g4RB98W8 Or let us know you're interested in future rounds: https://lnkd.in/gnw5hwNz

We're thrilled to welcome Pepperdine University as the newest university hub for solutions journalism!⁠ ⁠ Four schools have held this title since 2022. Pepperdine — located in Malibu, California — makes five. The university officially entered the solutions journalism orbit while participating in the 2023-24 Student Media Challenge with SJN, where the school's student journalists explored the complexities of climate on and around campus.⁠ ⁠ The status as a hub means that solutions reporting will be core to its journalism curriculum, and that the school will be center for the spread of solutions journalism to other schools and journalists as well. ⁠ ⁠ Welcome the Waves and learn more about the Hub program: https://lnkd.in/gTy-__UU

Is your purpose as a journalist supported by your practices and processes? Journalists' goals and ambitions are often things like deeply informing the public to build compassion, or to help people make decisions with more comprehensive knowledge. We want to help them navigate civic life more effectively. Maybe we want to be a valued piece of the community. We want our work to be essential! And yet ... we're frequently carried along by a stream of what we're "supposed" to report, rather than guided by the information people need. So how do we align our work with our goals? And, yes, with our community's goals? Dive into this week's "How to SoJo" for some thoughts.

We're delighted to kick the week off by announcing SJN's five new Climate Beacon Newsrooms, focused on visual climate solutions reporting. Climate solutions journalism focuses not on pie-in-the-sky promises or distant tech. It — like all solutions journalism — is about covering what's being tried right now to address a major problem. That means exploring how this attempt works, what can be learned from it, how well it's working, and the limitations or caveats to the approach. Exploring how communities most affected by the problem are responding is essential. That's why these five newsrooms — Mongabay, Cherokee Phoenix, Osage News, Alaska Beacon, and New York Amsterdam News — will be such exciting partners. They're committed to covering how a diverse array of people are tackling #climatechange. And they'll focus on visualizing that, showing people working on solutions, not just suffering from the problem. Can anyone solve it all at once? No. Is there plenty to learn ... and tons not being reported on? Absolutely. Hit the link for more information on their projects and to meet trainers Justin Cook and Tara Pixley. https://lnkd.in/gHpFEjGd

Journalists, here's a really fun opportunity to spend an hour thinking about purpose, connection, and solutions-focused storytelling, courtesy of the Solutions Insights Lab team.