Catalyst Journalism

This innovative book reconsiders the meaning of journalistic impact and proposes a new storytelling approach to achieve it.

Catalyst Journalism proposes aligning investigative journalism, with its long tradition of reform-minded reporting, with solutions journalism, an evidence-driven approach to examining effective responses to social problems. The book describes how investigative journalism and solutions journalism — approaches that at first glance might seem opposites — can work in concert to drive accountability reporting and expand the scope of journalistic impact. In doing so, Catalyst Journalism casts a new light on long-held assumptions about news values, objectivity, journalistic ethics and the very nature of investigative journalism itself. This book also provides a clear-eyed analysis that demystifies the emerging practice of solutions journalism. Case studies from the Boston Globe, Christian Science Monitor, and the Seattle Times demonstrate the power of pairing solutions-focused reporting with investigative methods.

Catalyst Journalism is a valuable text for students of investigative and solutions journalism, as well as for professional journalists interested in emerging storytelling methods.