It was fascinating to hear Dr. Wenzel, an adjunct professor, talk about the power of combining solutions journalism and engagement in our last class. Wenzel mentioned how practicing journalism resulted in a “disempowering news fatigue,” and she realized if she was feeling that way, her audience must be too. Then she discovered solutions journalism.

Wenzel discussed how solutions journalism can strengthen ties with the media in communities that feel like their bad side is the only aspect being represented in the media. She discussed examples of outreach projects, like when she helped try to address the problems between the media and residents of south Los Angeles. One thing she mentioned was that some people expressed reservations toward solutions journalism because they were worried they would only be given curated “good news” — they wanted it to be realistic.

I learned about the Hearken framework, a journalistic model that encourages the reporter to involve the public throughout the entire reporting process from asking questions, voting on questions, follow up, and even having accompaniment while doing reporting. While crowdsourcing, it’s important to bring fliers or business cards with all your information so people can follow up and participate further in the future. When collaborating with the community members as well as community partners, journalists must think about connecting all the dots. How will community members know about the outreach that you’re doing? How can you present your collaboration to partners in a way that will mutually benefit them? Wenzel pointed out that community engagement is similar to how original beat reporting was — maintaining relationships and keeping engagement going on both the journalist’s and source’s sides.

The hallmark of community engagement in journalism is interacting with people and ensuring there is an understanding of what information you are looking for. Leaving a suggestion box in a coffee shop and expecting it to magically fill just won’t cut it. Community partnerships can be valuable because they add validity to your project and they will also still be in the community for people to follow up with them after your story is complete.