Can This Problem Be Fixed?

TMS PEACE JOURNALISM, 5 Jan 2026

Solutions Journalism Network - TRANSCEND Media Service

We love to complain.

In fact, isn’t that kind of our job? We hold truth to power; then we tell everyone how the powerful are messing up.

Satisfying. Except that right now a lot of North Americans tell us government isn’t really working for them. They are desperate for solutions.

So, how do we help?

Reporting Right turned to one of our favorite partners — The Solutions Journalism Network —for inspiration. Here are some of their best recent stories and our tips.

How to get off the “broken” treadmill

Break some good news.  

No one wants to be a Pollyanna reporter, picking up government press releases and doing glowing reports on questionable government practices. But…everyone wants to tell a story that challenges conventional wisdom.

LIKE THIS: Wait, I thought Florida hated environmentalists.

Think out of your beat.

While most of us are constrained by geographic or topical beats, solutions journalism asks us to go beyond those boundaries. Look to other towns, other counties, other countries. Tell stories about what is working in other places to solve problems your community is struggling with, too.

LIKE THIS: Doctors in Georgia have a climate denial solution: talk to patients about how the climate crisis is making them sick.

Talk to the powerful.

We often report for and about community underdogs. But solutions journalism is often about flagging ideas that powerbrokers might want to get behind. Make sure your reporting is detailed enough to engage them.

LIKE THIS: Crime is down in Baltimore. This is how.

Hurting; not helping.

An important time to do deep dive solutions journalism is when a solution is about to get unfunded.

LIKE THIS: Dallas figured out homelessness; then the MAGA came knocking.

Be honest.

Some solutions are miracles. Most aren’t. Communities really benefit when reporters avoid reductive journalism and do nuanced reporting that includes what part of a proposed solution is successful, and what part isn’t.

Measure. Then tell them how you measured.

How are you deciding a solution is working? Make sure you know how success is being measured — and that it’s verifiable. Share all that with your audience.

Money and Sense.

Solutions are costly; and communities need to know potential price tags. Make sure you are reporting on them, even if you are just using estimates. Find experts who can offer ranges. Include those.

Credit where credit is due.

Often it’s behind-the-scenes actors who dream up big ideas and execute them. Make sure you include those folks in your reporting. The mayor may want to take credit. But a better story might be about the guy in the planning department who know one has ever heard of.

LIKE THIS: Give thanks to librarians.

Check out the Solutions Journalism Network toolkit HERE.

Go to Original – solutions.journalism

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