It’s referred to as “solutions journalism.” In some corners of the country, and with some media outlets, emphasis can occasionally be given to “…news reporting that focuses on the responses to social issues as well as the problems themselves. Solutions stories, anchored in credible evidence, explain how and why responses are working, or not working,” in the words of Wikipedia. The goal of the process is to create not only informed readers, but also those motivated toward “effective citizenship.”
When the New York Times published a end of year round-up of solution journalism stories earlier this week, they included one from Richland County.
In an opinion piece written by David Bornstein, a journalist and author concentrating on this area of journalistic endeavor, he included a piece written by reporter Dillon Carr of Richland Source.
Carr’s piece, entitled “When the River Rises,” was described this way by Bornstein: it “examines in painstaking detail the effect of floods on farmland, how government policies and Environmental Protection Agency rules constrain and frustrate farmers who want to do something about that, and how watershed conservancy subdistricts have been shown to be a workable and affordable solution.”
The Richland Source story was divided into chapters, and included video, interviews, and maps. True to the name of the genre of journalism referred to above, it not only posed an issue, but delved into the world of solutions. The New York Times story can be accessed here; the Richland Source story can be found here.
1812Blockhouse congratulations Dillon and the Richland Source crew for national recognition of locally important work.
