Solutions Journalism for the South at the University of Georgia
Telling the whole story in the South.
That’s the mission and purpose of the Solutions Journalism Hub at the University of Georgia—to support storytelling that covers both the problems and the actions being taken to address them.
We are committed to advancing education, research and industry collaboration and innovation to improve the understanding and reach of solutions journalism, with a special focus on the southern United States.
Solutions journalism is rigorous and compelling reporting about responses, which includes how that response has worked, or why it hasn’t; insight (what can be learned from a response and why it matters); evidence (providing data or qualitative results that indicate effectiveness); and limitations (placing responses in context).
Who We Are
As one of four inaugural Solutions Journalism Hubs named in 2021, the University of Georgia’s hub is uniquely positioned in the South to help newsrooms, students and researchers tell the whole story of our region. There are many problems here that we need good reporting on, but we want to also train storytellers to cover the responses — as a way to not only balance the narrative but provide audiences a way to engage.
We accomplish this in three main areas: teaching, research and service.
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Teaching
Our teaching supports collegiate solutions journalism education in the region, offering fellow educators another source for community. We incorporate solutions journalism in our own curriculum, especially in the capstone courses where students produce and publish solutions-oriented news. We are interested in hosting and facilitating pedagogical discussions and resource sharing in order to make solutions journalism a core element of journalism curriculum.
For more information or to connect with our teaching efforts, contact Prof. Vassileva.
Research
With an additional focus on solutions visual journalism, our research supports scholarship studying the production, presentation, distribution and reception of solutions journalism. We welcome graduate students who wish to incorporate this as part of their studies and thesis work, as well as outside scholars who are interested in collaboration.
For more information or to connect with our research efforts, contact Dr. Lough.
Service
Our service supports training and outreach for professional journalists and newsrooms. We serve as a home base for tools and techniques within the industry, and work to establish collaborative connections between newsrooms in the South doing this type of work. We often send our faculty and students out into the region to support solutions journalism initiatives and practices.
For more information or to connect with our service efforts, contact Dr. Bright.
