Cha-ching! Five insights into how constructive journalism pays off
From user distrust to alienation and falling revenues, media companies don’t have it easy right now — but constructive and solution-oriented journalism could point a way out.
If Albert Einstein were alive today, he might well say that we are living through an age of boundless chance. After all, he was said to have uttered, ‘In the midst of every crisis, lies great opportunity’, and there seems to be no end to crises at the moment. The coronavirus pandemic, accelerating and intensifying climate change, debilitating cyberattacks, doubts about the health of democracy. Watching the news or scanning the headlines online often feels like looking into the abyss — and this feeling makes many people turn away. And yet, it we trust Einstein (and he was definitely a smart guy!), the same situation can offer very different takeaways. Times of great challenge hold the potential for positive change.
This perspective is also at the heart of constructive journalism. According to the Constructive Institute, a trailblazing institution in the approach, constructive journalism is ‘…a response to increasing tabloidization, sensationalism and negativity bias of the news media today’. Its supporters claim it can meet today’s global challenges by providing nuanced reporting, presenting possible solutions to problems and fostering unifying discussions. The challenges aren’t just external, however; they also include ones that media content providers themselves face in a rapidly transforming media landscape.
