When Media Ignore Solutions
'Two opposing sides' is rarely the whole story.
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When you look at many of the big problems in the world, you see that there are people working on solutions. That's a major part of the positive side of the story of humanity. But in journalism, you generally wouldn't know that. Most controversies are presented simply as two sides disagreeing. In fact there is now, pathetically, a term for the rare times that news organizations actually consider solutions.
This issue plays out in all sorts of stories, including one in recent days involving gender in boxing and Olympic sports in general. In the new episode, I talk through what was missing in all this coverage.
There shouldn't have to be a separate term “solutions journalism.” It's just journalism.
Also:
A whole different way to look at the “pregnant people” controversy, and why the media should carefully consider terms for any group of people
How the term “solutions journalism” came up in the context of Israel and Covid
BBC employees speak out against antisemitism, and the head of the agency fails both Journalism 101 and Management 101.
MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell speaks out about something I keep pointing out here, and gets it exactly right.
More on all this in future newsletters, so be sure to subscribe.
In this episode, I mention a column from runner Caster Semenya, and that while some people support a “cheek swab” test, some scientists say that can also be inconclusive.
What you can do
Anytime you see a news agency ignore any talk of potential solutions as part of its coverage, look up the email addresses for top executives (or contact me if you can’t find them). Send this text or something like it, and cc me at josh@joshlevs.com.
In your coverage of (topic, include links if possible) you presented different sides arguing, but did not look at potential solutions to this problem. As Josh Levs explains in the podcast They Stand Corrected, solutions are a crucial part of the story, and all too often ignored by the media. Please rectify this by doing a follow-up story about potential solutions. Thank you.
Something faster you can do: Send me links! I reach out to executives at all sorts of news agencies all the time. Paid subscribers, reach me through the comments section here. Other folks can find a form at my website, joshlevs.com.
Note: This is the final week of the current reduced rates for new subscribers! With Episode 20, it will go up a bit in order to make sure we can keep going!
Thanks,
JL
P.S. Your responses to recent episodes are amazing. Keep them coming!
