Solutions Journalism: How to conceptualize — and then pitch — your story

Look at how others are solving major problems. (Photo by Rosie Kerr/Unsplash)

By ANNA PATTON

International Journalists' Network (IJNet)

Geopolitical tension and war are dominating front pages globally. That ongoing coverage is vital — but other angles deserve attention too, said Lola García-Ajofrín, a Spanish multimedia journalist. 

“When everyone is covering a problem, you can add value by asking questions, and looking at what element is missing,” she said. For example, how have societies previously divided by conflict begun reconciliation? That question prompted her story on a pen pal scheme uniting French schoolchildren and their European neighbors in the aftermath of the Second World War. 

“If there’s 100 journalists, the job of 99 of them is to point to the problem. But 1% of us have to then go, ‘Well, what are we going to do about it?’ That’s where solutions journalism comes in. That’s what excites me,” said Oliver Balch, a British freelancer based in Portugal. 

Solutions Journalism is “rigorous and compelling reporting about responses to social problems,” according to the Solutions Journalism Network (SJN). Under its criteria, a solutions story must cover four pillars: 

• How the response works 

• Evidence of its impact

• Limitations of the response

• Insights for others

  
  

[Read more: Rubryka's Solutions Journalism offers a beacon of hope in war-torn Ukraine]

Major outlets including the New York Times and BBC have created solutions verticals or programs, while others publish solutions journalism without labeling it as such. Meanwhile some specialists, such as Positive News, Reasons to be Cheerful, and Next City, are dedicated to this approach.

This offers opportunities for freelancers to explore underreported stories — but it can be tricky to source strong ideas, find the right format, and pitch successfully. Balch and García-Ajofrín, alongside SJN co-founder Tina Rosenberg, shared advice on how to do so. 

Here are some highlights:

Source story ideas with extra care 

Reporters seeking great ideas for solutions stories need to be extra careful.

“A lot of solutions providers are trying to get their idea off the ground, and you don’t want to find yourself part of their marketing or fundraising strategy,” said Balch, who specializes in the role of business in society, and regularly writes for the Financial Times and Reuters, among others. “I feel much more comfortable when I spot it, rather than [...] the idea being presented to me by a vested interest, even if those interests I accord with,” he said. Instead, hearsay or third party endorsement “are gold dust.”

Rankings and awards that spotlight leading businesses, projects or organizations can be good starting points for further research, added Balch. He also keeps in touch with a few trusted communication and PR agencies that are selective about their clients — and who may even suggest organizations not on their client list. 

Any supposed solution must have a track record. “It can’t just be an idea, and it probably can’t be [in a] super early stage,” said Balch. A founder with a strong personal connection to the issue they’re tackling can also lend credibility. 

Start with the problem instead — and find the positive outlier

Freelancers should pursue what SJN calls “positive deviant” stories, advised Rosenberg, a former New York Times columnist and Pulitzer Prize winner. 

"You can start with: 'I've heard about this interesting response to a problem,' which is the way probably 90% of solution stories are written. 'Hey, here's a cool NGO doing something interesting, or here's a government program that's working well',” she said. “But the other way to do it, which I prefer, is to say, what is the problem? And let's look for data, for who's doing better on that problem." 

For example, instead of using a dataset of crime rates to report on the worst-hit areas of the country, look for areas with the lowest crime rates or those showing a significant drop. “What did they do? And is that a story?” 

Look at how others are solving similar problems

García-Ajofrín has worked in multiple countries, and often brings a global mindset to her reporting. She currently coordinates the Pulse cross-border project at Spanish newspaper El Confidencial. 

Whatever the issue, look abroad, and you’ll usually find that “someone has found or tried to find the solution [...] It’s a beautiful way to look at the problem in a really different way,” she said. For example, following Spain’s deadly floods in 2024, she explored the success of flood monitoring systems in Austria and Czechia.

Ask how

For García-Ajofrín, the magic word to use while developing any story is how — and it’s one she uses even when reporting on an issue. While covering problems caused by rising bear populations in Romania, she asked interviewees how communities were responding. In one village, many mentioned the unusual approach of “coexistence,” which became a solutions story.

Consider alternative formats 

Solutions journalism doesn’t always mean lengthy analysis; a profile or interview is another way to cover successful responses, said Balch. Not only is this quicker to produce, it also means “you can be subjective from the get-go” by centering your interviewee’s perspective. 

“If you believe in them and their passion, you’re just being a conduit for getting their voice heard,” he said. Particularly if that’s a voice that rarely gets attention, “that’s a really positive thing I can do as a journalist.”

Over the years, García-Ajofrín’s projects have included solutions-focused interactive games and comics. The latter was the format of choice for a story she oversaw about Brazilian favela communities responding to the Covid-19 pandemic. This was partly due to practical constraints — it was not possible at the time to film or photograph residents. But the comic book format also offered the opportunity to subtly frame residents as heroes, a role in which they are rarely seen. 

For freelancers interested in producing solutions journalism beyond a traditional article, SJN offers resources on producing solutions-focused podcasts, broadcast TV, social media posts, and books.

[Read more: Why African journalists should adopt a solutions approach in their reporting]

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Guidance for pitching solutions stories

The hardest bit about solutions journalism is getting editors interested, according to Balch. “There’s a whole industry [public relations] that wants to promote good news, so there’s a natural hesitation, resistance, reluctance on the part of editors to fall into that trap,” he said. 

So how can you ensure your pitch is convincing?

(1) Add context

It can take time to earn trust and prove that you’re not pitching a PR-style puff piece. One way to make that clear, Balch said, is to explain why the solution is not perfect, or why the context is complicated. 

“Put in some context so the editor is aware that you are aware that there’s lots of responses going on. [Explain that] this is one of them and here’s why I’m highlighting it,” said Rosenberg. “[Don’t] present this as the only thing, or the magic bullet.” 

And you might not even call it a solutions story. “It’s better when the news organization publishing it labels it as such, but most newsrooms are not there yet. Many might be — wrongly — wary of the term,” she said.

(2) Remember your pitching fundamentals

Be sure to include the three components of any good pitch, said Rosenberg: 

• Why this story?

• Why now?

• Why me? 

(3) Know that the time you’re putting in is worth it 

Investing time in researching a pitch is hard work, especially when there’s no guarantee of securing a commission. But Rosenberg believes the work almost always pays off. 

“If it’s not a story, then good: you have found that out. If it is a story, you will write it for somewhere,” she said. “There’s always going to be someone who will take your story.”

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This story was originally published on the website of the International Journalists' Network (IJNet). IJNet, like Global Business Journalism, is a project of the International Center for Journalists.

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