Solutions Journalism Day: The Sacramento Bee investigates responses to our region’s challenges
Sacramento Bee journalists are committed to in-depth coverage of the thorny issues that plague our community.
This commitment includes investigating both problems and solutions. In celebration of Solutions Journalism Day, we submit to you a review of our work in the realm of rigorous reporting on responses to social problems.
What is this day all about? The Solutions Journalism Network, a nonprofit that supports journalists in response-focused reporting, organized this day to recognize the 10-year anniversary of the founding of this movement. The focus of this effort is to create journalism that tells the whole story through evidenced-based, equitable reporting. The goal is to empower you and your neighbors with information that is constructive and aimed at building a better future.
Over the past year, The Bee journalists have consistently offered you solutions-focused stories. Some of these stories have been tied to our project on local efforts to combat climate change. However, solutions stories have been written by journalists in all corners of our news organization. Here is a look at some of that work:
▪ Maya Miller, then-economic mobility reporter, wrote about a mother who was regaining her footing after tragedy with the support of a basic income program.
▪ Miller also wrote about an after-school program based in an affordable housing complex where the participants have a nearly 100% high school graduation rate.
▪ Samson Zhang, an intern with The Bee’s Equity Lab, wrote about why we’re seeing goat grazing more often in Northern California cities and what unique benefits and limitations this response has.
▪ Tom Philp, opinion writer, reported on Portland, Oregon’s process for establishing safe sites to house people and opined about what their approach could mean for Sacramento’s leaders.
▪ Ryan Lillis, real estate and development reporter, wrote about why a historic Sacramento corridor is a model for solving the region’s housing crisis and curbing its carbon emissions.
▪ Mathew Miranda, Latino communities reporter, wrote about what efforts are underway to support gardeners as California transitions to a ban on gas leaf blowers.
The Bee’s work in solutions journalism is ongoing and evolving. We are currently taking solutions work one step further by offering grants to support local climate solutions. (Our deadline is Nov. 20, so get to work on applications.)
If you like what we are doing and want to support our work, please consider becoming a subscriber. And if you already subscribe to The Sacramento Bee, thank you.
