Solutions Journalism Network

Solutions Journalism Network
Name	Solutions Journalism Network
Type	Nonprofit journalism organization
Founded	2013
Founder	David Bornstein, Tina Rosenberg, Courtney Martin
Headquarters	Brooklyn, New York
Focus	Journalism training, newsroom partnerships, research

Solutions Journalism Network is a nonprofit organization that promotes rigorous reporting on responses to social problems. The organization works with newsrooms, foundations, universities, and media outlets to encourage evidence-based coverage of interventions, policies, and programs addressing challenges such as public health, criminal justice, housing, and climate. Its activities span training, curriculum development, grants, and partnership building with local and national institutions.

History

The organization was founded in 2013 by David Bornstein, Tina Rosenberg, and Courtney Martin following prior work by Bornstein at The New York Times and Rosenberg at The New York Times Magazine and The New Yorker. Early collaborations involved partnerships with Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard, Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, and regional newsrooms including The Seattle Times and The Philadelphia Inquirer. Initial funding and pilot programs drew support from philanthropic institutions such as the Ford Foundation, John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, and MacArthur Foundation. Over time, the organization expanded via alliances with international media like BBC News, The Guardian, and academic centers including University of California, Berkeley and University of Michigan.

Mission and Approach

The stated mission emphasizes accountability and rigor in coverage of responses to problems, distinguishing its model from advocacy outlets like ProPublica or mainstream outlets such as The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal. The approach combines newsroom training used at institutions like NPR and Reuters with methodological frameworks drawn from researchers at Harvard Kennedy School, Columbia Law School, and London School of Economics. Tools and curricula reference evaluation designs from National Science Foundation-funded studies and randomized evaluation methods exemplified by work at Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab and RAND Corporation. The network promotes standards similar to those debated at conferences like Investigative Reporters and Editors and taught in programs at Poynter Institute.

Programs and Initiatives

Programs include fellowships modeled after initiatives at Knight Foundation and curriculum modules used in partnership with newsrooms such as The Texas Tribune, MinnPost, and ProPublica Local. Initiatives have ranged from coding collaborations with Mozilla Foundation and data partnerships with The Trace to collaborative reporting projects with Hechinger Report, Grist, and InsideClimate News. Training modules have been deployed in university settings at University of Southern California Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism and Medill School of Journalism. Grantmaking and newsroom incentive programs resemble efforts by Solutions Journalism Project-style philanthropies and are informed by evaluation practices from Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation-funded research and program models advanced at Aspen Institute.

Research and Impact

The organization documents outcomes through studies drawing on methodologies from Pew Research Center, Pew Charitable Trusts, and academic partners at Northwestern University Medill School and University of Oxford. Impact reporting compares audience engagement metrics similar to analyses by Nieman Lab and circulation studies from Audit Bureau of Circulations. Peer-reviewed assessments reference work in journals associated with Columbia Journalism Review-adjacent scholarship and evaluation frameworks used by Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in public-information interventions. Case studies have highlighted reporting projects that influenced policy discussions in municipal contexts like New York City and Chicago and program scaling in regions covered by Al Jazeera English and Reuters.

Partnerships and Funding

Funding sources have included major foundations such as the Knight Foundation, Ford Foundation, MacArthur Foundation, and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation alongside collaborations with media institutions including The Atlantic, BuzzFeed News, and Vox Media. Academic collaborations involve Harvard University, Columbia University, and University of California, Berkeley for training and research. Corporate partnerships and technical collaborations have drawn on relationships with technology and data organizations such as Microsoft Research and Amazon Web Services for tooling and capacity building. Fiscal sponsorship and nonprofit governance models reflect practices common to organizations registered under Internal Revenue Service rules for 501(c)(3) nonprofits.

Criticism and Reception

Reception among journalists and scholars has been mixed. Supporters from outlets like The New York Times, The Washington Post, and NPR praise the emphasis on evidence and constructive reporting, while critics from publications such as Columbia Journalism Review and commentators at The Guardian caution against potential bias toward solutions that foreground specific organizations or policy prescriptions. Debates echo earlier controversies around constructivist reporting styles discussed in forums hosted by Investigative Reporters and Editors and at academic conferences like Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication. Evaluation scholars at institutions including Harvard Kennedy School and London School of Economics have called for more rigorous impact assessments and randomized trials to measure behavioral and policy effects.

Category:Non-profit organizations based in New York City