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How Madison County Residents Successfully Lobbied Legislators Over Pollution Concerns
https://gradynewsource.uga.edu/madison-county-locals-see-change-after-lobbying-pollution-concerns-to-legislators
Jared Gilstrap
Grady Newsource
9 April 2021
Multi-Media / 800-1500 Words
After Georgian residents raised concerns about a pollutant that was being emitted by a nearby biomass plant, they banded together to pass legislation that effectively put an end to the practice. These concerned residents founded the Madison County Clean Power Coalition to raise awareness of the effects of creosote burning, which, when breathed in, has shown to increase the risk of lung and heart disease. Their lobbying efforts resulted in the governor signing into law a ban on burning creosote-treated wood.
A teen's death by suicide with her father's gun divides a small Missouri town
https://www.kansascity.com/news/state/missouri/gun-violence-missouri/article250368781.html
Kaitlin Washburn
The Kansas City Star
7 April 2021
Text / 1500-3000 Words
Seven teen suicides in one county over a two-year span prompted residents whose lives were touched by suicide to form DeFeet, an educational and advocacy group devoted to the message that suicide is preventable. Thanks in part to its trainings, public speakers, support groups, public education campaigns, and advocacy for gun safety, local schools now screen all students for suicide risk starting in middle school. A local health clinic now screens all patients and credits DeFeet, named for its annual 5K memorial walk, with creating "an environment where we are not as afraid to talk about suicide."
Seaweed Diet for Cows Lowers How Much Methane They Produce: Study
https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/climate-in-crisis/seaweed-diet-for-cows-lowers-how-much-methane-they-produce-study/2512745
Marianne Favro
KNTV-TV
7 April 2021
Broadcast TV News / Under 3 Minutes
Researchers at University of California, Davis found that cows that were fed a small amount of seaweed in their diet drastically reduced the amount of methane they emitted, which could be a low-cost climate solution for farmers. They saw an 82 percent reduction in methane in beef cows and there was also no detectable difference in the taste of the beef. More research is needed to be done to see how these results apply in other settings.
How One Atlanta News Station Is Fighting Against Fake News
https://gradynewsource.uga.edu/how-one-atlanta-news-station-is-fighting-against-fake-news
Trey Young
Grady Newsource
7 April 2021
Multi-Media / 800-1500 Words
11Alive, a Georgia news station, runs a program called "Verify" that helps residents get accurate information and slow the spread of disinformation. Viewers submit a form online or via an app to request any piece of information be debunked or verified. If deemed a verifiable request, a 13-member team of reporters, editors, and producers investigate it by reaching out to experts and other sources. Since disinformation spreads quickly, “Verify” uses Google Analytics and search engine optimization (SEO) to get the most exposure and gain traction when a verification article is posted.
'Life After The Gunshot' Documents The Impact Of Hospital Interventions After Gun Injury, Trauma
https://www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2021/04/07/life-after-the-gunshot-trauma
Peter O'Dowd
Allison Hagan
WBUR
7 April 2021
Radio Talk Show / 5-15 Minutes
A college professor and a former stabbing victim counsel young men in the hospital soon after they are shot or stabbed. These interventions, based on trust and shared experiences, are meant to prevent repeat injuries, which are common for people with traumatic experiences. Of 116 men they've counseled, one was later murdered, one was rehospitalized, and all the rest have found safety and some measure of success in reorienting their lives -- a far better rate than was the norm at that hospital before the program started. Their work is the subject of a new documentary series, "Life After The Gunshot."
Helping animals cross the road and other obstacles
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p09ck4dp
Daniel Gordon
BBC
6 April 2021
Podcast / Over 15 Minutes
As human infrastructure continues to threaten animal habitats, researchers are coming up with ways to use artificial structures as bridges for these creatures to get where they need to go. In Indonesia, irrigation pipes help farmers water their crops, but they’re also used by slow lorises to cross over the farmlands. In Brazil, a bridge crossing a major highway will be used by golden lion tamarins to avoid the busy traffic.
Nuts for coco de mer: islanders rally to save world's biggest seed
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/apr/05/coco-de-mer-islanders-rally-to-save-worlds-biggest-seed-aoe
Anne Pinto-Rodrigues
The Guardian
5 April 2021
Text / 800-1500 Words
A public-private scheme between the Seychelles Islands Foundation and a government agency is allowing residents to plant seeds of the coco de mer, or sea coconut, as a way to save the endangered tree species. So far, 96 seeds have been planted on 26 properties. Despite its extremely slow growth rate, island residents are excited to grow trees for future generations and protect them from poachers.
Mobile Vaccine Squad Has a Mission: Find and Protect the Neediest
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-04-05/mobile-vaccine-squad-has-a-mission-find-and-protect-the-neediest
Sarah Holder
CityLab
5 April 2021
Text / 800-1500 Words
In California's Marin County, mobile vaccine teams are helping to deliver vaccines to populations that are "homebound, homeless, and hesitant." The team has been able to administer 8,000 shots so far, which organizers say has been the easiest part. Linda Dobra, who leads a mobile vaccination team, says, “It’s all the logistics that go into planning and consenting and observing and set-up that takes time."
In a Pennsylvania town, a Facebook group fills the local news void
https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/social-media/pennsylvania-town-facebook-group-fills-local-news-void-rcna577
Brandy Zadrozny
NBC News
5 April 2021
Text / Over 3000 Words
In areas with no newspapers, locals are increasingly turning to Facebook groups to share resources and information about local happenings, particularly crime. Many of The News Alerts of Beaver County's 43,000 members praise the benefits of the group, in which members can post and comment on local news, including everything from infrastructure and businesses to lost dogs and suspected criminals on the loose. However, critics claim it is a hub for misinformation and vigilantism. The group is moderated, but the misinformation, which is shared in good faith by neighbors, is hard to spot without training.
Inside stories
https://www.cjr.org/special_report/empowerment-avenue-writers-cohort-incarcerated.php
Taylor Moore
Columbia Journalism Review
5 April 2021
Text / 800-1500 Words
The Empowerment Avenue Writer's Cohort pairs incarcerated writers with volunteer journalists on the outside who mentor, edit, and help the writers pitch their stories to publications. By publishing more incarcerated writers' viewpoints and first-hand reporting, and by getting those writers paid for their work, the project better informs the public about experiences inside prisons, gives free-world journalists more inside sources, and helps set up incarcerated writers for a career once they are free.
The world is full of people and institutions working to advance change. Yet, these emerging ideas can be difficult to find...until now.
SolutionsU® identifies, vets, and tags high-quality solutions journalism stories in one searchable database - the Solutions Story Tracker.
SolutionsU® features stories produced by 1,400+ journalists from 700+ news outlets, featuring 148+ countries, and growing every day. The stories cover a wide variety of people, communities, and institutions working to advance change around the globe.
Solutions stories illustrate the real struggles in social change, going beyond inspiration to provide evidence and insights about how social change really works.
SolutionsU® is a project of the Solutions Journalism Network: a nonprofit organization that seeks to rebalance the news, providing readers with critical reporting on society's problems and stories that explain how individuals, institutions, and communities are responding.
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NYU Stern School of Business
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