Caitlin Schmidt
Our solutions journalism beat here at the Star is turningΒ one year old on Aug. 15.
WhileΒ reflectingΒ on the occasion, I admitted to my editor that when I'd pitched the idea of a whole beat focusing on people and groups working to fix problems, I wasn't sure if I'd generate enough reader interest or would even find enough stories to keep it going. Sure, we've done projects involving solutions journalism at the Star for years, but we hadn't taken on regular, sustained coverage of solutions that are underway (or needed) in our community.
Turns out, my fears were all for naught.
I've had a backlog of story ideas from the start and the beat has grown in ways I couldn't have imagined.
Thanks in large part to my participation in the Solutions Journalism Network's 2022 LEDE Fellowship, I've been able to engage with readers both virtually and in-person, soliciting feedback on our coverage and trying to learn what the community wants me to write about.
At in-person events I talkedΒ to attendees about my job and what kinds of stories they'd like to read. I launched aΒ surveyΒ that has generated hundreds of responses, organized an hours-long community conversation where two dozen people helped guide future solutions coverage, and for the past six months, I've been giving readers a behind-the-scenes look at our work through myΒ Southern Arizona Solutions newsletter.
I've also authored or co-authored more than 55 solutions-oriented stories covering topics includingΒ public safety,Β education,Β housingΒ andΒ homelessness,Β criminal justice,Β health,Β community groups,Β politics,Β mental wellness,Β substance use issuesΒ andΒ more. To make it easy for readers to find our solutions coverage, weΒ created a solutions pageΒ on our website.
And it's not just me producing solutions stories. We've recently started training otherΒ Star reporters,Β internsΒ andΒ apprenticesΒ on how to do solutions journalism on their own beats.
Solutions is growing and thriving at the Star, and the impact on our community has been even better than I'd hoped.
Emails from readers praising our solutions coverage and the way it affects their lives are constant and regular. Here's a portion of a recent one:
"I just read your Solutions email stories this morning. It was extremely uplifting to hear of people here in Tucson helping others. And certainly a breath of fresh air amidst the horrendous news I am bombarded with daily. Thank you! I look forward to reading more of the Solutions email."
Messages like these let me know that what we're doing is important. I couldn't sustain this beat without the interest of readers.
Our solutions coverage has also impacted story subjects, including local nonprofit The Homing Project, whichΒ received a land donationΒ after aΒ solutions storyΒ about its quest to find land for a village of secure, tiny homes for unhoused individuals.
Our efforts to make solutions journalism a priority this past year recently garnered some national attention by way of anΒ article in Better News, a journalism website that serves as a hub of best practices and provides guidance on industry issues. The Better News article has gained some traction, including a recent appearance in anΒ international newsletterΒ as an example of a solutions journalism best practice. Based in Germany, the Bonn Institute researches best practices and works with media outlets and research institutions to analyze the impacts of innovations in solutions journalism and provide training to employees.
And we're still going and growing.Β Now you'll be able to read more solutions coverage about the environment β a topic that participants in our community conversation spent significant time discussing. My quest for community feedback is never ending. I want this to be a beat guided by and produced for the community.
We also want to make sure that our solutions coverage is reaching the people who need and want to read it. To celebrate our first year, we're offering our lowest-ever 5-month rate, just for solutions readers. (New subscribers only; Please write down Source W, Promo TN in case you have questions about this deal later.)
In addition, if you subscribe to our newsletter, you'll be entered in a drawing to win a $50 gift card that can be used on gas or groceries. If you know someone who could benefit from our solutions coverage and these offers, please feel free to share them.
We couldn't have accomplished all that we have this past year without the support of our community, and my colleagues at the Star and I are very grateful for the enthusiasm with which our solutions beat has been met.
You know that overused cliche, "Time flies when you're having fun?"
Well, wouldn't you know it? It's true.
