High-quality climate solutions training

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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.

|| May 10, 2023

Erik Sandoval, investigative reporter at WKMG-TV in Orlando, starts us off with some reflections on creating broadcast solutions journalism and teaching it to college students. — Allen Arthur, online engagement manager

Just about a month before the end of the semester, when I figured students were either cramming for exams or ordering their graduation gowns, I visited the campuses of the University of Florida in Gainesville and University of Central Florida in Orlando to teach a boot camp on solutions journalism.

I wondered if anyone would show up.

I was floored when I saw the rooms at both schools filled with students, and more trickled in as our boot camp got underway. We examined how solutions journalism shines a spotlight on the concepts that are addressing community issues, using the four pillars to help craft a story.

This led up to my showing them a project I have been involved with for the last two years, and that I’m especially proud of: Solutionaries. It’s a series produced by Graham Media Group, which owns seven television stations around the country, including WKMG-TV, where I work as an investigative reporter. Since it launched, the stories on television and the Solutionaries YouTube Channel have tackled issues such as policing in America, voting rights, mental health and school safety. Response to our work has been overwhelming, and our subscription numbers online continue to climb.

My goal at UF and UCF was to show the next generation of journalists that solutions journalism has a firm place in any newsroom. What I got back was more than I was expecting. During our Q&A sessions, I watched many of the students, really engaged, making a list of the solutions they wanted to tackle. They had fun with the exercise, and it showed me there are solutions to issues and problems in every community that need to be spotlighted. The students walked away with knowledge, and I walked away re-energized by their enthusiasm.

Mission accomplished.

— Erik Sandoval

Investigative reporter, WKMG Orlando

THE NEXT INTRO TO SOJO
You can get a live, one-hour introduction to the principles of solutions journalism, guidance on what it’s not, tips to get started in your reporting and much more on Tuesday, May 16, at 9 a.m. EDT / 2 p.m. WAT / 3 p.m. CEST / 6:30 p.m. IST. Join from anywhere in the world by registering here.

AND SPEAKING OF TRAINING ...

In this special session, led by Climate Central’s Bernadette Woods Placky and Project Drawdown’s Jonathan Foley, you’ll get a brief Climate Science 101 refresher; you’ll hear about the latest data and science on climate impacts and the intersectionality of these impacts across race, place, age, gender and geography; and you’ll learn about the just-released Drawdown Roadmap — an innovative resource that breaks down climate solutions across sectors, time and regions. It also outlines the co-benefits of solutions for nature and human well-being, and importantly, it identifies barriers to deploying solutions at scale. Check out the video series introducing the Roadmap, and click here to register.

OPTING FOR BETTER OP-EDS

In a world of polarized (and polarizing) conversations, Hélène Biandudi Hofer is a force for understanding. In addition to being a respected journalist, she led SJN’s Complicating the Narratives initiative and is now the co-founder of Good Conflict, an organization helping others navigate divisive issues. Recently, she wrote a piece for the American Press Institute covering the steps needed to make local opinion journalism less incendiary and more constructive. I cannot recommend it enough.

TIP OF THE WEEK

It will come as no surprise to many of you that Trusting News has another fantastic tool out. Its new “Trust Kits” are clear, concentrated doses of practical insight that any newsroom can use to help build trust with audiences and communities. Current offerings range from “Listening to Reach New Audiences” to addressing corrections and being transparent about your ethical guidelines, and more are coming. These should be indispensable.

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

People (including policymakers) desperately need holistic reporting on homelessness. But coverage that perpetuates stereotypes or assumptions not backed up by data can hinder meaningful responses to the problem. Community Solutions recently released "Affirming Truths About Homelessness," a resource full of helpful data and research that can help journalists tell healthier, more accurate stories.
Apple News and the National Association of Black Journalists have partnered “to give a recent graduate or early-career journalist the opportunity to work at the forefront of news and technology.” Learn more about this fellowship opportunity here.
Badru Mulumba, a former SJN LEDE Fellow, gave an excellent explanation of solutions journalism's appeal in a talk to other Sudanese journalists. It's a terrific example of how solutions reporting is applicable beyond borders.
Peter Yeung is a fantastic, solutions-focused climate journalist, and now he's taken the plunge to bring his SoJo to TikTok. You won't be disappointed ... and might even be inspired to make your own!

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

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