Flip the Narrative for Insightful Impact

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Solutions journalism can emerge from reframing a narrative. While the concept itself predates its formal naming, many effective practitioners may not recognize their work as such. A compelling example highlights how a focus on systemic issues, like the unaffordability of AIDS medicines, can shift from a despairing account of suffering to an inspiring story of resilience and innovation. By honing in on Brazil's success in producing generic medications despite external pressures, the story not only addresses the broader problem but also illustrates a viable solution, showcasing the importance of highlighting positive actions amidst challenges.

What is the goal of our digital information environment? Is it simply to inform us, or also to empower us to act?

The Solutions Journalism Network (SJN) understands that simply reporting on social problems rarely leads to change. What they’ve discovered is that rigorously reporting on responses to social problems is more likely to give activists and concerned citizens the hope and information they need to take effective action. For this reason, SJN trains journalists to report on “solutions angles.” More broadly, the organization seeks to rebalance the news, so that people are exposed to stories that help them understand the challenges we face as well as potential ways to respond.

In this episode, Tina Rosenberg, co-founder of SJN, and Hélène Biandudi Hofer, former manager of SJN’s Complicating the Narratives initiative, walk us through the origin of solutions journalism, how to practice it, and what impact it has had. Tristan Harris and Aza Raskin reflect on how humane technology, much like solutions journalism, should also be designed to create an empowering relationship with reality — enabling us to shift from learned helplessness to what we might call learned hopefulness.