Mediatisation of alternative energy issues in European mass media

The study presents the results of content monitoring of the European press on the subject of alternative energy. The data collected from the current newspaper articles and selected by keywords “alternative energy sources”, “diversification of energy sources”, “energy transition” and “energy markets” are summarised. Trends, problems and prospects of energy transition are revealed. Both pan-European trends and the dynamics of transition in specific countries (Germany, France and Great Britain) are presented. It is noted that the triangle of sustainable development, which is “economy — ecology — society”, needs a powerful media component to ensure public discussion and social approval of the latest energy technologies. It has been proved that the energy turn provides sufficient information support for society to adapt to alternative energy sources and allows key actors to make informed policy decisions. The role of solutions journalism in the implementation of sustainable development goals, including the transition of the society to renewable energy, is pointed out. It is noted that solutions journalism, as a new direction of media activity, corresponds to the interpretive contextual function of journalism, which provides coverage of productive precedents for solving social problems in different countries. The role of the media in popularisation of such precedents is shown. The tools of solutions journalism used in the European countries are indicated, namely engaging the expert community, providing positive forecasts, appealing to the productive experience of other countries, covering the political side of the issue and opportunities for savings through the transition to alternative energy sources, and promotion of green technologies.

A systematic review of constructive and solutions journalism research

Academic activity surrounding constructive and solutions journalism has surged in recent years; thus, it is important to pause and reflect on this growing body of work in order to understand where the field can and should go in the future. We conducted a systematic review of existing literature on solutions and constructive journalism ( N = 94), in an effort to (1) describe the state of this field by identifying the patterns and trends in the methodological and conceptual approaches, topics, institutions, countries and practices involved in this research, and (2) illuminate potentially important gaps in the field and suggest recommendations for future research.

Deon and Telos: How Journalisms Are Evolving Their Ethical Approaches

Survey evidence shows a deontological ethical ideology remains dominant in global journalism, underpinned by a cultural value of detachment. This article opens by considering the strain imposed on these precepts in US corporate media while covering the Trump White House—ultimately to breaking point with the defeated president’s campaign to overturn the result, attempting to co-opt news organisations in the process. Feedback loops of cause and effect have, in any case, been exposed in today’s extended media, making the involvement of journalism in stories—through influence on audience responses and source behaviours—impossible to overlook. At the same time, new journalisms are emerging and growing, which adhere instead to a teleological ethical ideology. They openly identify themselves with external goals, and appeal for funds from donors and supporters on that basis. The article then goes on to present original data from analysing statements of aims and purpose put out by 12 news organisations working in four of these new fields: Peace Journalism; Solutions Journalism; Engaged, or Participatory Journalism; and Investigative Journalism, respectively. These represent a growing edge in journalism, it is argued, since they are positioned to respond positively to the changed conditions brought about by political and technological forces, which were illustrated by the Trump crisis. The study points to the changes in institutional arrangements now needed, if the structural foundations for their survival and success are to be strengthened.

Solutions Journalism: Strategies for Effecting and Managing Change

The field of journalism is undergoing epic changes at this time. With the growing impact of social media and citizen journalism, among other trends, traditional schools of journalism face a need to re-examine their most fundamental premises. Historically journalists adopted a code of practice whereby the ideal news article focused on issues and problems of consequence to society, and reporters presented both sides of the case. The gold standard was balanced reporting that investigated and uncovered abuses in society, with the mantra being “if it bleeds, it leads.”. There was no added incentive or requirement to take responsibility for solving the problems they uncovered. While print media organizations faced a backlash of criticism following the era of “yellow journalism,” they did not confront the necessity to reorient the entire profession; rather they simply had to “clean up their act” and operationalize what they already knew and believed. Today, the situation is dramatically different—largely as a consequence of the rise of citizen journalism, the impact of social media, and the trend toward an introspective look at their profession by journalists themselves and by those who train the journalists. In this article, we look at the emerging focus on a phenomenon called solutions journalism. Solutions journalism differs in both form and intent from not only the traditional standard of reporting, which focuses on problems, but also “good news reporting,” which tends to be superficial and non-solution oriented. In an effort to understand the current push for a new direction in the journalism profession, we will look at the rise of the new paradigm, pioneers in solutions journalism, characteristics of solutions journalism, and the theoretical foundations of solutions journalism. In exploring the latter point, we will examine the relationships among solutions journalism, social media, open source, systems, and open innovation theories.

CONCEPT OF SOLUTIONS JOURNALISM MODEL: CONNOTION, FUNCTIONS, FEATURES OF FUNCTIONING

The article examines the main features, general characteristics and essence of the concept of solutions journalism. The basic principles of functioning of this model of journalism in the western press and in Ukraine are given. The list and features of activity of the organizations, institutes and editorial offices supporting development of journalism of solutions journalism. The purpose of the publication is to describe the Solutions Journalism model: its features, characteristics and features of functioning, to find out the difference in the understanding of the concept of «solutions journalism» and «constructive journalism» in general. The task of the publication was to conceptualize the main trends in the development of solutions journalism in the Western and Ukrainian information space; show the main characteristics, formats of functioning and analyze the features of the concepts of «solutions journalism» and «constructive journalism». Applied research methods: at the stage of research of the history of formation of the concept of Solutions Journalism the historical method is used. The hermeneutic method of research helped in the interpretation of basic concepts, the phenomenological approach was applied in the context of considering the essence of the phenomenon of solutions journalism. At the stage of generalization of the features of the concepts of Solutions Journalism and «constructive journalism» a comparative method was used, which gave an understanding of the common components in their essence. The method of analysis allowed to expand the understanding of the purpose of Solutions Journalism as a type of social journalism and its main tasks. With the help of synthesis it was possible to comprehensively understand the concept of Solutions Journalism and understand its features. In Ukraine, this type of journalism is just emerging, but its introduction into the editorial policy of the media may have a national importance. These are regional and local media that can inform their communities about the positive solution of certain problems in other communities, and thus thanks to this model can save local journalism. In the scientific context, there is a need to outline the main differences in the understanding of the concepts of decision journalism and constructive journalism, to understand the socio-psychological need to create good news.

At the Intersection of Media Innovation and Solutions Journalism

Ongoing social transformation and rapid technological change have ushered in a new frontier which offers a plethora of opportunity for what the future of higher education could potentially look like. And, for media education in particular, these shifts, while casting a wave of uncertainty and caution, outweigh the costs and are ripe with opportunity. When it comes to cultivating media savvy entrepreneurs, particularly those who are interested in using digital tools and approaches to solve societal issues, the marriage of solutions journalism and media entrepreneurship presents a host of opportunities. This study seeks to examine how the solutions journalism framework and accompanying standards can be used as a foundation to teach media entrepreneurship from a social enterprise philosophy/approach.