CONSTRUCTIVE JOURNALISM TOOLKIT
Developing Story Ideas
You’ve found a story idea that warrants deep or critical treatment, but you want to be constructive, too.
Take a step back from the immediate problem or controversy.
1
Notice how strong your own journalistic instincts and personal perspective might be in shaping your angle or approach.
2
Tap into your curiosity around what the bigger picture of the story might be, and the impact your coverage could have on people and the community. Could there be a different way of approaching it?
3
You can use the three pillars of Constructive Journalism as a lens to refine your story idea and develop the question you will research for your story.
Pillar 1: Solutions
You may not have a solution, but you can elevate information that helps others put the pieces together.
Have you heard about or are you able to find where someone has solved a similar problem before?
Would some of your sources already be researching or know about best practices from elsewhere?
Who actually has power to affect progress around this problem?
Is there a need for a new solution that hasn’t been developed yet?
Pillar 2: nuance
The two sides of the story may be obvious. How can you add more context and draw out the shades of gray in the middle?
Which data and facts might provide an overview and offer a deeper understanding of the problem
Could additional sources reveal nuances in the problem?
How has the problem developed over time?
What is the historical background of this issue?
What is the wider context of the story?
Are there stories we can revisit to find out how this issue played out before?
Are there myths that need to be confirmed or refuted?
Pillar 3: Conversation
You can generate and develop ideas by involving citizens, stakeholders and decision-makers in the process.
This is different –> Traditionally, journalists have seen their role in society as descriptive and passive observers. In Constructive Journalism, journalists are invited to take on a more active role in getting all parties to reach out to each other, to discuss difficult and divisive issues, or to bring different actors together to develop solutions or nuance the story.
This new role takes two forms:
Before we even find our story, we concentrate on involving citizens. If we want our reporting to resonate with them, we need to focus on what matters to them. This is called public-powered journalism.
Once we have found the story or stories that we want to cover, we involve the citizens again. This is called dialogue journalism.
Asking citizens for story ideas
Let your audience know you want them to help drive where you prioritize coverage.
You can collect their ideas using social media, surveys, newsletters or any platform where you engage with your audience. Ask people in person at live events for specific groups or the general public. Or decide on a particular theme, then prompt your audience for input on what they’d like to see covered.
Involving citizens in story development
This is easy -> This type of involvement happens after you have defined the specific issue you want to cover and defined your research question. You can reach out to your audience, inviting them to ask questions about the issue, seek solutions or nuance the development of the story.
Key questions to ask:
Do we have a suggestion for solving this problem?
Might we find solutions or add nuances to the story through a workshop or similar meeting with citizens, stakeholders, experts and decision makers?
Can we help build bridges, in a debate between dissenting parties?
Adapted from “A Handbook for Constructive Journalism” (2022) by Kristina Lund Jørgensen & Jakob Risbro. Produced by the Constructive Institute and International Media Support (IMS).
GROUP OR SOLO EXERCISE
Develop a Constructive Story Idea
Find a news story from a newspaper, radio or TV broadcast which describes a problem. Develop the idea rigorously within one of the three pillars.