reporting 25% THE BRISTOL CABLE more time spent by readers


on a story when it included a solution to the problem it covered


business model,” explains chief executive Sean Wood. Typical stories look at ways to tackle homelessness or make streets safer for women at night. If a celebrity is interviewed, they are likely to be asked what brings them joy or makes them feel optimistic. While positive, its stories are not designed to make people


smile in the same way as the ‘And finally…’ item at the end of the TV news. They may come from groups advocating social and environmental change, or by following up news that is covered in a superficial way by nationals. “The national media is used to giving priority to things that are going wrong,” says Wood. “They may not see the resonance in stories about things that are going right.” What is probably required is a change in mindset across the media, not so much by the news audience but to some extent among journalists (who may need to shed some of their inherent newsroom cynicism). More than anything, problem-solving reporters require a more enlightened approach by publishers, who often dictate how a story is presented or whether it appears at all. As Wood says: “Journalists need to be able to do their job and pursue accuracy and truth without ignoring positive stories.”


Journalists, adds Jackson, can get around this by slowing


down, stepping away from the breaking news culture and carefully analysing the claims being made. “Solutions may not always exist in the same time frame,” she


says. “Sometimes, there may not be an immediate response.” In the US, an online newspaper placed two different stories on the same topic in front of readers. Both concerned the struggles of the working poor, were of the same length and used identical headlines. But, while one of the stories carried by Deseret News focused solely on hardship, the other looked at both hardship and some of the assistance offered to poorer households in Utah, where the paper is based. Readers who accessed the second version of the story spent 25 per cent more time reading it.


Headlines for solution-type articles should flag up the


solution on offer, rather than the problem. Eye-catching stats often draw in readers, while a question with a hook (such as ‘Feeling down?: here is how one woman overcame depression’) can be particularly effective. Online and print magazine Positive News has been


showcasing solutions journalism for three decades. Based in the UK, it was relaunched in 2015 as an international cooperative, with readers in 33 countries. A quarterly magazine, it is funded via subscriptions and


voluntary payments from online readers. “We’re trying to show the industry it’s something that can make a viable


Positive about solving problems


PEOPLE in Bristol know the city faces a housing crisis. What they are less aware of is the option of co-designing a home and renting it from the council. Co-designed housing was


featured by The Bristol Cable in October 2022 in the first in a series of articles looking at the future of cities. The newspaper, a


co-operative funded by subscriptions, received a €130,000 grant from the European Journalism Centre to fund the year-long project. The Cable is publishing


one article each month highlighting possible ways


to address problems around housing, transport and resources such as water and energy. Many ideas come from readers, who flag up options and may feature in stories. In the first article, a


mother, who lives with her daughter in a bungalow built in the garden of her parents’ council home,


described how she advised builders over its size and layout. A second article looked at


rent controls in cities such as Lille, in northern France, and asked whether it was a solution to Bristol’s housing problems. The article pointed out the downsides as well as advantages. At the end of each article,


a box sets out how readers can take action, perhaps by joining a discussion forum or lobbying local politicians. Eliz Mizon, who has


written for the paper since its launch eight years ago, says articles flag up positives but include critical evaluation of the ideas put forward. “All good solutions


journalism should reflect the limitations of any solution,” she says.


theJournalist | 17


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