Solutions Journalism Network
Champion No. 3 — Solutions Journalism Network
Solutions Journalism Network (SJN) was launched in 2013 by journalists David Bornstein, Tina Rosenberg, and Courtney E. Martin to change what newsrooms spotlight. Instead of treating social problems as hopeless, SJN trains reporters to explain how a promising solution works, then syndicates the finished stories so they travel far beyond a local beat. Over the past decade the network has coached more than fifty thousand journalists in six hundred news organizations, and its open Story Tracker now houses more than seventeen thousand rigorously fact-checked “response” articles drawn from outlets on every continent.
For Higher-Track-caliber nonprofits, that training translates into real leverage. When a Chicago public-radio team used SJN’s playbook to profile Cure Violence, the segment was rebroadcast on NPR Morning Edition within days and quoted by legislators in two other states weighing violence-interruption funding. Community Solutions’ “by-name list” method for ending homelessness followed a similar arc: an SJN-guided series in The Seattle Times reached national editors, and within months several city councils earmarked federal HUD dollars to adopt the model. Leaders of featured organizations routinely report sudden spikes in small-donor gifts, invitations to testify, and easier first meetings with skeptical partners—wins advertising budgets can’t buy.
The lever doing the heavy lifting is cultural: SJN shifts mindsets inside journalism so audiences—and the public institutions they influence—begin the conversation with “Here is something that works.” That mindset change fuels early-stage breakthroughs long before they have glossy branding or celebrity champions. Thanks to its scale, depth of training, and open-access story bank, SJN is now a mature nationwide asset for any changemaker ready to prove a model. In short, SJN turns quiet, local success stories into national tipping points, giving breakthrough nonprofits the public trust and momentum they need to take off.
Explore more at https://www.solutionsjournalism.org
— Higher Track
Tracking and Elevating the Social-Impact Breakthroughs Quietly Reshaping America