It’s Not All Bad News: Solutions-Oriented Journalism Approaches

Emerging solutions-oriented journalism practices such as solutions journalism and constructive journalism aim to counter the persistent negative bias of traditional, problem-oriented news and hold specific promise for reporters covering health and science topics. Beyond scientific breakthroughs, solutions-oriented journalism focuses on explaining how society is responding to pressing issues, such as climate change, health disparities, and mental health, to provide a more accurate representation of social progress. In doing so, solutions-oriented journalism seeks to serve as a healing social force by improving news audiences’ emotional states, efficacy perceptions, and possibly support for policy changes. Evidence that such effects exist are emerging, yet findings are mixed. As more news outlets experiment with these newer journalisms in the contexts of health and science topics, scholars should continue to theorise and test their impacts on audience and societal emotional health and prosocial action.