Fixing the future of journalism was the theme behind The 2025 Medill Summer Summit, which not only examined solutions journalism but also challenged journalists to create models to involve their communities and allow expansion into the future.
The day-long session began with a definition of terms, involving both Andrea Faye Hart, a media-based organizer and chaplain who co-founded City Bureau, and Chris Green, executive editor of The Journal in Wichita, Kansas. Faye Hart — who is no longer a practicing member of the media — said community-centered media requires “a space of deep listening” where journalists focus not just on telling stories, but on helping communities understand and implement solutions.
Green outlined a process where the problem’s solutions are outlined. Then, working backward to identify unresolved conflicts, Green uses conflict and solutions journalism together to create more nuanced storytelling.
The most powerful part of the session was a session featuring Alison Flowers and exonerated state felon Robert Johnson. In a dialogue moderated by Amber Payne, Flowers deconstructed her collaborative reporting with Johnson. Wrongfully imprisoned for nearly 30 years until his release in February 2025, Johnson expressed both frustration with the judicial system that allows systemic abuse by police and gratitude for his case’s example that investigation can literally transform lives and result in the overturning of convictions.
Solutions Journalism Network co-founder Tina Rosenberg continued with the narrative, explaining how solutions as part of multi-piece or even standalone articles can enhance investigations, give readers actual actions they can take to change the injustice pointed out in the investigation, and point out imperfections inherent in any system.
“Your investigation is dedicated to showing we have a problem,” Rosenberg said during her presentation. “Your solutions story is dedicated to showing it doesn’t have to be that way.”
Solutions Journalism not only offers hope but repairs narrative harm that journalism has historically inflicted — demonstrating that when journalism offers something unique and constructive, “good journalism wins.”
The day concluded with Future Spin: How We Can Fix the News Together. A firestarter session featuring Cheryl Dahle, Candice Fortman, Ashir Badami and Max Kabat preceded a group activity that illustrated one of the most significant challenges to the survival of a free press — the opportunity to invent a more resilient business model.
During the firestarter, Kabat, featured in national news reports about non-traditional approaches to journalism, discussed how his team at The Big Bend Sentinel in Marta Texas, and goodDog agency, “lean in” to community engagement. He and his wife also own Cisco, a gathering space with coffee and food.
The group activity featured a presentation from a group that proposed a laundromat and tavern co-located with a newspaper, a “Best Of” contest that allowed recognition of small community businesses and recognition of outstanding citizens, and many more non-traditional approaches to information delivery.
The Summer Summit, which took place in the East Wacker Drive Medill campus in downtown Chicago, was supported by the Robert R. McCormick Foundation, Field Foundation of Illinois and Solutions Journalism Network with assistance from the Medill Solutions Journalism Hub.
• PDF: Step-by-step guide to finding the right solutions article for your investigation
• VIDEO: The News Literacy Project reviews Solutions Journalism
