BIG NEWS TIME

The results are in from the most expansive research on solutions journalism ever done. Across 638 survey respondents, people consistently rated solutions-focused stories higher than problem-focused ones.

In short, it's #newsthatworks. What @SmithGeiger found:

People don't see solutions journalism as optional in their local news coverage. It's now a must. Audiences agree that reporting on the problems and what's working to address them combine for a healthy news diet. (2/10)

Solutions journalism consistently displayed an ability to deepen understanding of an issue, and more people said it would "make them watch this station's news more often." It's not a huge margin, as you can see, but every little bit helps. (3/10)

To recap: 638 people across the U.S. were shown a story about a local problem and a story about an effective response to a problem. They were asked how they felt about each.

This one blew us away. (4/10)

It wasn't just trust. The solutions stories consistently ranked higher than the problem-focused stories in virtually *every positive metric* people were asked about. These are just a few. Maybe your newsroom wants these reactions (5/10):

We're going to go out on a limb: Interesting journalism is good. Well, solutions journalism has that covered too. (6/10)

People were asked which words "perfectly describe" the story they just watched. If you want people to think you're making thoughtful or well-crafted work, well... (7/10)

Solutions journalism showed benefits across the board - sometimes by small margins and sometimes by large ones. But what surprised us most is that it didn't seem to matter who was polled. Generally, even in a polarized environment, they all felt the same way (8/10):

Flip through the thread and you'll see solutions journalism building trust, knowledge and more. But we've collected even more in a quick and easy blog post.

In short: News about what's working is #newsthatworks for journalists and audiences alike. (9/10) https://thewholestory.solutionsjournalism.org/the-top-ten-takeaways-from-the-newest-solutions-journalism-research-9d4cbbed7578

Convinced yet? We want to help you do this work because we've seen what its impact.

So email us at [email protected] to get your newsroom trained.

Or join our FB group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/solutionsjournalismhub

Or stay in touch with our newsletters: https://bit.ly/SJNnewsies  (10/10)

Lots of folks liked our little teaser tweet yesterday so ...

@AmandinLondon @Trish_Crain @BridgetThoreson @dhiott @speaktoevelyn @ObaAdeoye1 @resolvephilly @beatrizjuca @abiri_jones @TomiwaBabalola @localmediarocks @MoJo_Africa @gijnAfrica @memangrum @LionTalk @RobinKwong