There are calls for the news to be made more positive. Neil Merrick reports


Always look on the bright side of life …


J


ournalists are used to highlighting the world’s problems. Yet, with many people switching off from the news because it is too depressing, is it time to focus more on possible solutions? In Bristol, readers of a community


newspaper are voting with their direct debits and demanding more solution-type stories, covering ways individuals and communities can overcome adversity. Members of The Bristol Cable, who pay monthly or annual


subscriptions, told staff at its last annual general meeting they wanted to see an expansion of ‘solutions journalism’, alongside the investigative reporting for which the paper is renowned. “It’s important for people to have hope and understand not


only what can be done, but also that there are people already doing it,” says journalist Eliz Mizon, who acts as the paper’s comms lead. The Bristol Cable is one of five UK titles that received money in 2022/23 from the European Journalism Centre (EJC) as part of a three-year programme to promote solutions journalism (see box). Its grants, which are worth €130,000, also went to media in France and Germany. Tradition states that bad news attracts larger audiences


and, thanks to the advertising, it helps fund the media. However, last year’s Reuters digital news report found people in the UK were more likely to see the media as having a negative effect on their mood than in any other country. Among media recognising the value in problem solving is


Glasgow community magazine Greater Govanhill. Editor Rhiannon Davies acknowledges that finding solution


stories can be difficult, but believes journalists are capable of seeking out ideas and weighing up their effectiveness. “Sometimes, the solutions exist on a small scale,” she says. “They may work within one community – but that doesn’t mean they will work everywhere. It’s about opening people’s eyes.” Reporting solutions does not mean regurgitating fluffy PR


16 | theJournalist


stories, stresses Davies, who delivers training to student journalists and independent publishers. Rather, it is about looking through a critical lens, and explaining why something works – or not. “Aspiring and practising journalists are interested in new


ways to frame stories and follow-ups,” she says. Greater Govanhill, set up three years ago, is sharing an EJC


grant with The Ferret, also based in Scotland, for a joint project on health inequalities. Grants were made under the Solutions Journalism Accelerator scheme, run in conjunction with the US-based Solutions Journalism Network and funded by the Gates Foundation. Money also went to the Evening Standard for a series about


girls’ education in the developing world and to New Internationalist for stories on decolonisation. The EJC, set up in 1992, supports journalism across Europe through grants, training and other initiatives. Zlatina Siderova. Who is in charge of the accelerator scheme, says solutions journalism is increasingly common in France, Germany and Italy (as well as in the UK), with growing interest in central and eastern Europe. “It brings about more optimistic reporting and overcomes


news fatigue and the negative bias in the news,” says Siderova “The problem is at the core of the story, but by reporting on something that complements the story, it conveys the message that positive change is possible.” When it comes to climate change, many editors cry


out for stories featuring solutions to accompany warnings about the effects of global warming. Libération, a French newspaper, carries a monthly story on responses in countries such as Tunisia, which are feeling the direct impact of the climate emergency.


Research by academics in the US suggests solution- “


The media is used to giving priority to things that are going wrong. They may not see the resonance in stories about things that are going right”


orientated reporting can make audiences feel less anxious and more energised. They may also be more willing to discuss issues and hold those in authority to account. But how are journalists meant to uncover stories based around solutions when the pressure is on to meet a deadline and a bad news headline is seen as the best way to generate the necessary clicks? Sometimes a solution can be found by journalists asking an extra question, says Jodie Jackson, founder of the News Literacy Network. “Often people affected by a problem are aware of the most


effective solutions,” she says. “Ask if anybody is doing anything about it. Maybe the answer is no, but you may find that people say yes. The story will find you.” Jackson set up the News Literacy Network to help young


people navigate the news more effectively. The news audience, she says, plays an important role in ensuring journalists place more emphasis on solution stories. One problem for journalists is that so-called good news cannot always be taken at face value. There is corporate PR to contend with, not to mention government spin, industry lobbying and questionable claims by scientists and research bodies.


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