A short introduction to Constructive Journalism

Goals and Chances of Constructive Journalism in the current media landscape

“People really don’t want to consume our product anymore”, Lisa Urlbauer, a journalist herself, says while discussing the current negativity in journalism and the impact on the audience.
For her, an important answer to this given by constructive journalism lies in showing new stories. “People need to see, feel or hear something different“, she says.“And there are so many stories to tell.”
For her, a main goal of Constructive Journalism is to create a fuller picture of the stories told by providing more perspectives and fostering nuanced reporting. And, looking at the the last aspect of constructive Journalism – encouraging a constructive dialogue -, “it can really help us, also as news consumers, when journalist take more of the role of moderators to actually be really informed about the public discourse. Because often, also when we think about talk shows for example, they’re really about blaming people, pin-pointing who did something wrong which might have a certain effect – but it doesn’t really have a lasting effect. If you figure out who did something wrong, you still don’t get rid of this wrong-doing.”

So instead of fixating on the wrongs of the past, constructive journalism focuses on the question: “what now?”. It emphasizes connections and possible solutions. Research supports the approach of Constructive Journalism, as shown in the twelth edition of “Media Perspektiven” in 2022, an online media research platform provided by the public service broadcasting ARD in Germany. Therefore, researchers have come to relatively clear conclusions that constructive journalism has a positive effect on emotional reactions and sensitivities, while also improving the audiences‘ resilience. Another mentioned positive aspect is significantly increased trust in the media, which is also described as a possible positive outcome of Constructive Journalism by Reuters Institute – stating, by the way, that currently, trust in the news is also standing at 40% worldwide.

Klaus Meier, german journalist and communication scientist, outlines the benefits of constructive journalism on three levels:

Micro – the audience would feel better by experiencing hope and solution in the reporting.
Meso – media companies create a better connection and therefore more reach to their audiences
Macro – possible solutions and perspectives for social issues possibly effecting a progress for society/ an emporement for social commitment and imitation.

Urlbauer also highlights the benefits for journalists, as they themselves “feel very overwhelmed by the stories they produced because they are at the front line.”
As she shows journalists the offerings of Constructive Journalism, such as doing research to look for solutions, she would notice: “this can really motivate people, we often hear that from journalists we are working more closely with.”

But not all sides may see it this way.

Critiques, Challenges and Responses

While implementing the concept at the german newspaper “Sächsische Zeitung” in 2016, there was quite some pushback of the editorial staff. Oliver Reinhard, deputy head of the features section, recalls colleagues criticizing the concept as “whitewashing.”
According to Peter Bro, Professor, PhD and director of the centre for Journalism at University of Southern Denmark, critism of constructive journalism include being too positive/ not critical enough, proximity to activism and unclear definition. Adding to the latter, the Reuters Institute finds the roots of this challenge for Constructive Journalism lying in a lack of conceptual precision as early proponents did not clarify the concept all to well leading to varied interpretations and practices.

But the criticism of Constructive Journalism being too positive has been refuted by proponents – as Constructive Journalism doesn’t aim to not be critical or exclude problems from their reporting. Or as the Reuters Institute puts it, it is not about focusing solely on “feel good” news. Rather, it aims to provide a more balanced view by covering responses to problems, thereby shifting the focal point from issues to solutions.“
Lisa Urlbauer also stresses how important it would be to show the limitations of the solutions. While showing possible solutions, often, the problem is not 100% fixed, “but people have come up with a lot of things, and often, people are more surprised, why they’re not spread – because of political will, for example.”

The Sächsische Zeitung is by now known for interely working with the principles of Constructive Journalism in their work. At this newspaper, it is now being seen as a mindset. Implementing the concept takes work, but the rewards can be substantial: “If you dedicate time and space to new perspectives you might reach new audiences“, as Lisa Urlbauer puts it.

“You can make it your own”

As previously mentioned, the definition of Constructive Journalism lacks precision, allowing for a broad range of interpretations. Matching this, Lisa Urlbauer encourages journalists not necessarily to follow prescribed methods to the letter, but rather to critically engage with their own reporting: “look at your stories. Think about whether something is missing. Talk to the people. Talk to them about what stories they wish we would have told.”
At the same time, she acknowledges that every newsroom operates differently. When it comes to Constructive Journalism, she emphasizes, “you can make it your own.”