Solutions journalism is a storytelling approach that, as the Solutions Journalism Network defines it, focuses on programs related to the response of solving social problems on local, national and international levels. Many news organizations are currently redefining how they tell stories, and one tool they are utilizing to reconnect with members of their communities is solutions journalism.
Digital humanitarianism presents new technological approaches to ameliorate humanitarian work. It can be tricky to conceptualize since it is decentralized, self-organized, volunteer-based and virtual. It is not tangible in the traditional sense of collaborative working groups, and it is also a relatively new inter-disciplinary field which integrates social computing and technology, information systems, networked collaborative organizational structures, communication and emergency management. There is no one discipline, theoretical home or practice upon which to lay down a marker which also complicates its definition. There is no doubt that technology is a crucial part of digital humanitarianism. In fact, Cyber-intelligence, security and development apparatuses, and social media realms are constituents of a vast technological nexus and the term ‘digital humanitarianism’ can encompass those concepts and much more.
That said, solutions journalism and digital humanitarianism share a common goal of addressing social issues and promoting positive change in the society. They both leverage the use of digital technology, which is an integral part of humanitarian responses as it facilitates access to critical support in crises. While digital humanitarianism particularly relies on technology for rapid response and coordination during crises, solutions journalism may use it for research, data analysis, and dissemination of information (through media websites) in its response to social problems.
Both solutions journalism and digital humanitarianism often involve engaging with communities, experts, and organizations. It is quite common for digital humanitarianism to work with local communities and volunteers. Today, there are 30 Digital Humanitarian Network member organizations that are typically comprised of citizen volunteers. These groups coalesce into four primary categories of volunteers and technical communities. Solutions journalism, being insight-based, often interview experts and community members to provide data or qualitative results that indicate effectiveness (or lack thereof).
One of the major differences between solutions journalism and digital humanitarianism is that the former covers a broader range of topics and is not limited to immediate crises. It looks at effective responses and solutions to various social issues over time. As I peruse through Solution Journalism Network’s database of over 15500 stories from across the world, it is quite clear, with each story, that there is a longer-term focus with no sense of emergency. Digital humanitarianism on the other hand is primarily activated in response to immediate crises or emergencies, such as natural disasters, conflicts, or humanitarian emergencies. It is perceived as a potential solution to the technical and communication barriers faced by emergency managers. Since the mid-2000s, as the rapid increase in techno-scientific journal articles attests, all manner and scale of emergencies – floods, storms, forest fires, earthquakes, power outages, traffic gridlock, even high school shootings – have been rediscovered cybernetically, by hyper-bunkered digital humanitarians, as socially distributed information systems.
From this brief analysis, we can see that both digital humanitarianism and solutions journalism share a common goal of positive social impact. But they differ in terms of their immediate focus, methods of engagement, and the use of technology. They can, however, complement each other in addressing social issues and promoting positive outcomes.
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