Ethics and Values: Highlighting solutions

Themes:
  • How News Works
    • WJXT4 anchor Vic Micolucci used Facebook to explain the station’s approach to local coverage. In the post, he reminded users that he’s a part of the Jacksonville community, he’s committed to sharing the most accurate, up-to-date information and he doesn’t like to see the local community hurting. “I don’t hate police officers. Or protesters. I’m friends with people on both sides of the line. Every person is different. I don’t want small businesses to fail or people to lose their jobs. I don’t want people to get sick. I don’t want unrest,” Micolucci wrote. “I WANT to share good news. And I do. The 9am show I anchor has a lot of positive stories daily. However, as a journalist, I have to report on crisis, concerns and controversy. If I don’t, who will?” This work was done independently from Trusting News but embodies the work we do.
    WJXT4 anchor Vic Micolucci used Facebook to explain the station’s approach to local coverage. In the post, he reminded users that he’s a part of the Jacksonville community, he’s committed to sharing the most accurate, up-to-date information and he doesn’t like to see the local community hurting. “I don’t hate police officers. Or protesters. I’m friends with people on both sides of the line. Every person is different. I don’t want small businesses to fail or people to lose their jobs. I don’t want people to get sick. I don’t want unrest,” Micolucci wrote. “I WANT to share good news. And I do. The 9am show I anchor has a lot of positive stories daily. However, as a journalist, I have to report on crisis, concerns and controversy. If I don’t, who will?” This work was done independently from Trusting News but embodies the work we do.
    Themes:
  • How News Works
    • In partnership with the Solutions Journalism Network, the Atlantic-Journal constitution shifted the focus of its editorial pages to be more solutions-based during the coronavirus outbreak. Managing editor Mark Waligore explained the change in a column, saying that with politics becoming more polarized, the paper wanted to shift its focus on solving community problems during the pandemic. “Given all that has happened, we believe the changes we’ve made to the Opinion pages are the right approach at the right time,” Waligore wrote. “We hope they can serve as a gathering spot, of sorts. A place to share your personal stories. A place to swap ideas and look for answers. A place that brings us together, rather than divides us.”
    In partnership with the Solutions Journalism Network, the Atlantic-Journal constitution shifted the focus of its editorial pages to be more solutions-based during the coronavirus outbreak. Managing editor Mark Waligore explained the change in a column, saying that with politics becoming more polarized, the paper wanted to shift its focus on solving community problems during the pandemic. “Given all that has happened, we believe the changes we’ve made to the Opinion pages are the right approach at the right time,” Waligore wrote. “We hope they can serve as a gathering spot, of sorts. A place to share your personal stories. A place to swap ideas and look for answers. A place that brings us together, rather than divides us.”
    Themes:
    As part of its Solutions Journalism Network work, The Hechinger Report experimented with ways to demonstrate that reporting on solutions matches the organization’s values. Here is one newsletter A/B test. The staff wrote two different invitations for readers to consume a story about how well education is preparing students for a changing labor force. Half the audience got this example, which included a paragraph focusing on the solutions frame. The click-through rate on this version was 15% higher than on a traditional version.
    As part of its Solutions Journalism Network work, The Hechinger Report experimented with ways to demonstrate that reporting on solutions matches the organization’s values. Here is one newsletter A/B test. The staff wrote two different invitations for readers to consume a story about how well education is preparing students for a changing labor force. Half the audience got this example, which included a paragraph focusing on the solutions frame. The click-through rate on this version was 15% higher than on a traditional version.
    Themes:
    In this post, The Hechinger Report demonstrates that it understands its audience well enough to know what it wants. Readers have a desire to read stories that make them feel good about the world, and this story (done through the Solutions Journalism Network) meets that need.
    In this post, The Hechinger Report demonstrates that it understands its audience well enough to know what it wants. Readers have a desire to read stories that make them feel good about the world, and this story (done through the Solutions Journalism Network) meets that need.
    Themes:
    News consumers are hungry for stories that emphasize what’s going well in the world, not just those that point out problems. As part of the Solutions Journalism Network, Alaska Public Media is explicitly telling their audience when a story focuses on solutions. This tweet focuses on the contrast between examining problems and solutions.
    News consumers are hungry for stories that emphasize what’s going well in the world, not just those that point out problems. As part of the Solutions Journalism Network, Alaska Public Media is explicitly telling their audience when a story focuses on solutions. This tweet focuses on the contrast between examining problems and solutions.
    Themes:
    News consumers are hungry for stories that emphasize what’s going well in the world, not just those that point out problems. As part of the Solutions Journalism Network, Alaska Public Media is explicitly telling their audience when a story focuses on solutions. In this example, an italicized note at the top of a story explains what that means and links back to more stories about solutions, along with a feedback form.
    News consumers are hungry for stories that emphasize what’s going well in the world, not just those that point out problems. As part of the Solutions Journalism Network, Alaska Public Media is explicitly telling their audience when a story focuses on solutions. In this example, an italicized note at the top of a story explains what that means and links back to more stories about solutions, along with a feedback form.
    Themes:
    The Gazette used Twitter to remind users of its mission. While sharing a link to a story about opioid abuse, the news team explained why they covered the topic from a particular angle and reminded users part of their mission is to "look for solutions facing Iowa."
    The Gazette used Twitter to remind users of its mission. While sharing a link to a story about opioid abuse, the news team explained why they covered the topic from a particular angle and reminded users part of their mission is to “look for solutions facing Iowa.”
    The Gazette used Twitter to remind users of its mission. While sharing a link to a story about opioid abuse, the news team explained why they covered the topic from a particular angle and reminded users part of their mission is to "look for solutions facing Iowa."
    The Gazette used Twitter to remind users of its mission. While sharing a link to a story about opioid abuse, the news team explained why they covered the topic from a particular angle and reminded users part of their mission is to “look for solutions facing Iowa.”