Catalyst Journalism: Investigative Reporting, Solutions Journalism, and the Drive for Impact

This innovative book reconsiders the meaning of journalistic impact and proposes a new storytelling approach to achieve it. This innovative book reconsiders the meaning of journalistic impact and proposes a new storytelling approach to achieve it. Catalyst Journalism proposes aligning investigative journalism, with its long tradition of reform-minded reporting, with solutions journalism, an evidence-driven approach to examining effective responses to social problems. The book describes how investigative journalism and solutions journalism—approaches that at first glance might seem opposites—can work in concert to drive accountability reporting and expand the scope of journalistic impact. In doing so, Catalyst Journalism casts a new light on long-held assumptions about news values, objectivity, journalistic ethics and the very nature of investigative journalism itself. This book also provides a clear-eyed analysis that demystifies the emerging practice of solutions journalism. Case studies from The Boston Globe, The Christian Science Monitor, and the The Seattle Times demonstrate the power of pairing solutions-focused reporting with investigative methods. Catalyst Journalism is a valuable text for students of investigative and solutions journalism, as well as for professional journalists interested in emerging storytelling methods.