MEDIA PERSPECTIVES
Resources, roles and reality
Media members weigh the real-world potential of constructive ideals
In fall 2023, the Community Foundation for Mississippi convened a virtual meeting to share an overview about Constructive Journalism and to ask for the perspectives of Mississippi journalists. The content included both examples from abroad and perspectives from the Mississippi audience.
Sixty-two people registered for the meeting, spanning print, digital, radio and broadcast media as well as funders, comms practitioners and audience members. Twenty-seven people attended; several asked questions, shared experiences and connected with each other in the event’s chat.
Additionally, this project captured perspectives from 15 individual media voices around the state, representing traditional and nonprofit media outlets, media associations and journalism educators.
Our one-on-one conversations with working journalists for this phase were not formal interviews. Rather, the conversations were structured around gauging interest, exchanging ideas and seeing these questions from the journalists’ perspective:
SENTIMENT: What do journalists think about Constructive Journalism methods and examples?
OVERLAP: How are they similar to what journalists and media outlets are already doing?
BARRIERS & NEEDS: What resources would media outlets need to do more of this kind of work?
The scope of this project included only a sampling of journalist voices from around the state. Add your perspective to join the ongoing conversation.
“This meeting, in my opinion, was a great first step in addressing what's needed in Mississippi when it comes to providing trustworthy information."
CONSTRUCTIVE JOURNALISM
THE VALUE IS UP FOR DEBATE.
Could it help bolster our business models?
At the end of the day, the value of Constructive Journalism for media outlets hinges on whether it can help provide the revenue that pays for their work — grants, advertising, subscriptions, donations, partnerships and other revenue models.
What do you think about Constructive Journalism?
Concept Versus Reality
The most common responses from active media members were interest and curiosity, alongside questions and doubt around the practicality of adding more layers to their work.
Appropriateness of Role
Leaders in traditional newspapers raised doubts about the appropriateness of the “facilitator” role for journalists, while those in new media outlets seemed open or even confident about the idea.
“We give you the information, and we leave it to you to do something with it. I think presenting the solution is beyond our scope.”
“All these things we are interested in and excited about. It just comes down to resources...”
“We’re not supposed to solve it as journalists. But we sure can convene and facilitate conversations about solutions and shut up and listen. And report, of course.”
How is this similar to what you already do?
Separate from their opinion of constructive methods, many media members related to one or more of its values, or shared stories of projects or efforts that were similar.
1. Inspiration as a Goal
One media member described making an intentional connection between reporting about innovative efforts by Mississippi businesses and inspiring people about what they, too, can accomplish.
“My initial reaction was that it’s a nice theory, but I’m not certain it would be implemented very easily in markets of our size.”
“The chief impediment in Mississippi is people don’t believe in themselves. ‘You’re always in last place.’ That psyche holds us down.”
2. Dialogue to Inform Nuance
Media members shared experiences in which intentional, in-person dialogue sessions revealed nuance in what might otherwise have been portrayed as a two-sided situation. They described learning from these events.
“What you find if you get into conversations like these is that people don't fall easily into these two sides that are the media narratives and political divisions — me versus them."
3. Reporting from Inside the Community
People covering a community’s news while also being an active member of that community said it helped generate story ideas and keep news staff visible and relevant in the community.
“I saw that if you’ve got 15-20 people or even less, and had one of these sorts of conversations, people would emerge at least open to a different point of view.”
“I’m a member of the antique club. Our publisher goes to Rotary. My news reporter goes to Kiwanis. Everybody’s involved in something.”
4. Helping to Solve Problems
Media members who don’t necessarily see themselves as practicing “solutions journalism” were clear on the ways their work already plays a critical role in solving problems.
“I don’t think that investigative reporting is contrary to constructive journalism. We’ve got to know the truth before we can begin to solve those particular issues.”
“I think we present solutions, we just don’t do it in a formal way. We write periodically a column where someone will present what they think the solution is.”
THE REALITY GAP
THE barriers and challenges MEDIA MEMBERS SEE
1. Limited Resources
Virtually all of the media members we heard from pointed to resources and capacity as the main obstacle to being able apply constructive journalism methods and models.
“Philanthropy says, ‘We give you this money, you have to do this.’ It's not like, ‘Here's this money, go do good journalism.’ The simpler the better.”
3. Space for Vision and Creativity
Especially among legacy organizations, the daily grind of just getting the news out absorbs full energy and attention. It doesn’t leave much space for big, bold ideas, nor time to stop and reimagine what you do.
“It’s like, ‘Go to meeting, write a story. Go to meeting, write a story.’ You don’t have a lot of time to go outside the box.”
“There are no extra bodies around here to organize forums and be the catalyst for community dialogue.”
“It seems like every day there’s a new methodology to consider.”
“At the end of the day, we have white- leaning publications, and others seem to be left-leaning. There’s this tug-of-war, and you don’t really get to the center of what’s happening.”
2. Philanthropy Priorities
When newsrooms have the opportunity to access grant funding, they must prioritize resources toward the kind of reporting their funders want to see. Resources are limited, so this can be both an opportunity and a barrier.
“Resources are the biggest issue. Everybody’s operating on donations and grants. They have to get the best people, the best equipment — the means to get the good stuff [stories].”
“A lot of our positions are funded through specific grants. These funders want to really engage Mississippians in [specific] issues. We have benchmarks we have to report on, so those can take priority.”
“We are treading water all day long. When you’re doing that, it’s kind of hard to sit up there in the lifeguard’s post and look over the whole scene.”
4. New Idea Overload
Among media leaders who do have space for forward thinking, the conversation around Constructive Journalism is only one of many seeking to engage, equip and connect them right now.
“I can’t promise you’ll get a lot of participation. I have four recordings to listen to of other trainings that I missed.”
5. Analysis, Opinion and Bias in Media Outlets
One media member said that bias within news organizations would be a barrier to those outlets reporting from the middle with more nuance. Another saw a problem with trying to cover a situation aggressively and/or publishing opinions, while at the same time trying to act as a neutral facilitator.
“I think you run into some problems on the front end: ‘You just criticized this person. You're always picking on those folks.’”
6. Resistance to Change
Several media members said that even if they personally bought into a more constructive vision, getting colleagues to work differently would be challenging.
“Journalists like to push for change, but they themselves don’t actually like change.”
Add your perspective to these media voices:
Other barriers you see, or ideas to overcome them.
Constructive reporting on deadline? A plug-and-play format book makes it possible.
In Denmark, a struggling regional media group has embraced Constructive Journalism as a strategic pivot aimed at survival. It found that even a new mission, new reporting standards and training were not enough.
“The journalists felt it was too much for them,” News Director Brian Holst said. “They are busy, they have deadlines. And how they have to work with Constructive Journalism, too.”
Holst led the development of a plug-and-play format book for the newsrooms. It shows 18 different types of accessible story formats that reporters can replicate, rather than having to figure out on deadline a new way to tell the story.
The tool made it possible for reporters to produce 300 constructive stories in the first six months.
How they did it: “Back from the Brink” >>
A challenge would be getting folks here to buy into a different way of telling stories.
— Mississippi newspaper editor
THE POTENTIAL
OPPORTUNITIES FOR MEDIA OUTLETS
Engaging Young Talent
Recruiting young people and people of color is a significant challenge for many media outlets. Media members and journalism educators were interested in whether a constructive vision would make journalism careers more attractive to young people in Mississippi. Student journalists in Mississippi saw the potential, too.
“Unless they are from there, how do you recruit a smart, ambitious young person of color to go live and report in the Delta?”
“All the young people want to go to cities. To move to a small town, they have to have a missionary zeal to them.”
Funding Constructive Work
To the extent that resources are the primary obstacle, philanthropy and communities can equip media outlets to practice constructive journalism the same way they have funded special-topics reporting or backed a media outlet’s mission with subscription and advertising dollars.
Common Ground and Collaboration…
People saw this conversation as an opportunity to develop more collaboration and interaction among media outlets in the state on initiatives and topics. Nonprofit leaders, event organizers, academics and people with experience as group facilitators also see opportunities to play a role in constructive reporting models.
“If you really want to work with media, then there has to be a way for us to be incentivized to get involved.”
“My counter-fear is that I almost think the media is homogenous. You see one strong personality putting something out, and everyone else just repeats it. One consequence could be that we reinforce this homogenous perspective.”
“I want to find ways for media in Mississippi to come together in an alliance. There is far too much divisiveness where we should be finding ways to collaborate more and build each other up.”
…While Preserving Diversity of Thought
In the context of collaboration, media members said that the distinct point/counterpoint perspectives they provide are still an essential part of healthy civic debate. Nuance isn’t everything.
“We incarcerate too many people, and the end result is we don't have resources to focus on the people who are actually dangerous. Those are the kinds of things that reasonable people can agree on regardless of what label they wear.”