CAN JOURNALISM BRING PEOPLE TOGETHER?

A crowd of storytellers from various media outlets that are all giving a different opinion on how they view constructive journalism.

Constructive Journalism elevates our role to

facilitators of civic dialogue.

Here’s how it works

Solutions + Nuance + Conversation

Constructive Journalism Foundations Graphic

Media outlets can apply the Three Pillars of Constructive Journalism in everyday reporting, for special projects, or to redefine a news brand and business model.

The goal is not soft news, but rather to be both critical and constructive. A key difference is how journalists are empowered to initiate the kind of dialogue they want to cover, while still keeping opinion separate.

Diagram and toolkit adapted from the Constructive Institute.

EXPLORE TOOLKIT ➤

Journalists at home and abroad are experimenting with this method.

Here’s what it looks like

Examples from Abroad

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Back from the Brink
Denmark
Back from the Brink
Denmark

Concerned for its own survival, a regional newspaper group used constructive journalism to rebrand itself and elevate its value to the community. For reporters on deadline, a plug-and-play format book makes it possible.

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Denmark
Greater Govanhill
Scotland
Greater Govanhill
Scotland

A free community magazine takes a solutions-focused approach to stories that matter to the neighborhood. It also provides a platform for under-represented voices in the community; more than 150 people contributed content in the first year.

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Scotland
Flipping the Script
Germany
Flipping the Script
Germany

A news station flipped the traditional town hall debate format, putting voters on the stage while politicians listened and asked questions. They lost the drama of political posturing — but still drew above-average viewership, by focusing on the issues voters said were most important.

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Germany
Solved or Squeezed
Denmark
Solved or Squeezed
Denmark

A TV station put four politicians in a shrinking room and gave them 20 minutes to solve a problem together. Borrowing ideas from other industries — like reality TV — was one way to produce good news that’s not boring.

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Denmark
Controversy to Conversation
Indonesia
Controversy to Conversation
Indonesia

An online magazine grounded its sex-ed reporting in real questions its young readers were asking. It then hosted roundtable talks that brought different perspectives together, and covered that dialogue.

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Indonesia
My Country Talks
Global
My Country Talks
Global

A newsroom launched a program that pairs people from opposite perspectives for a one-on-one conversation. Reporters asked to sit in and cover some of the more interesting pairings.

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Global
A group of United States' journalist criticizing Denmark for using constructive journalism.
Two media personnel realize they have been using the constructive journalism method without knowing.

Ideas from the South

Southern media outlets are finding ways to elevate everyday voices, and to cover hard stories while preserving hope.
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Southern Examples
Fayetteville Observer
North Carolina
Fayetteville Observer
North Carolina

The Fayetteville Observer initiated audience roundtables, mobile newsrooms and source audits as part of its work to rebuild trust in the Black community. The best part was covering how the project took on a life of its own.

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North Carolina
Rising Waters
South Carolina
Rising Waters
South Carolina

Does journalistic independence mean distancing yourself from the community you cover? At the South’s oldest daily newspaper, a pair of young reporters say that’s outdated advice. Here’s what they do instead.

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South Carolina
More Than a Number
Georgia
More Than a Number
Georgia

A reporter who had lost his own father to homicide helped his TV station rethink crime coverage. They began following up to tell victims’ stories and produced a practical resource kit for families.

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Georgia

Just because a jackass brays doesn’t mean you have to quote him.

— Mississippi Publisher George McLean (1904–1983)

Could this movement help shape

journalism’s future?

Here’s the potential

  • It resets our purpose beyond covering news and exposing wrongs.

  • It shifts our power from polarizing to connecting.

  • It grows engagement by elevating the ideas of everyday people.

  • It makes the hard work of reporting more attractive and inspiring for staff.

  • It empowers us to report on solutions without veering into advocacy.

  • It changes the value we can offer to advertisers, funders and communities.

  • It helps people trust media by making it more transparent.

  • It offers a hopeful path forward for the media in our country.

Perspectives from the next generation

High school journalists debate the value of constructive approach at the Mississippi Scholastic Press Association’s spring 2024 conference.

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