Why should journalists focus on climate change solutions? York Daily Record editor: We can’t just point at problems

• By Randy Parker, York Daily Record/Sunday News

This story is part of Climate Solutions, a collaboration focused on community engagement and solutions-based reporting to help Central Pennsylvania move toward climate literacy, resilience and adaptation. It originally appeared at ydr.com. The USA TODAY Network in Central Pennsylvania is a Climate Solutions partner.

After more than 30 years of tackling the biggest problems in central Pennsylvania with some of the best journalists in America, I remain utterly frustrated by the array of troubles still facing us.

And not just new problems. I’m talking about dilemmas we have stared down repeatedly. Explained. Illustrated. Broken down to their bare elements.

Issues such as child abuse and domestic violence. Or homelessness. Or gun violence.

There are times I seethe, or shout, or wonder at how can my newsrooms be more effective. How can we do more than merely point at problems and actually help drive up solutions?

This is why I have joined an ambitious new effort, launching today, called Climate Solutions.

This collaboration of five news organizations, two institutions of higher learning and a theater company is working with a national organization called the Solutions Journalism Network, which is providing a $100,000 grant to help the effort.

The very name “Solutions Journalism Network” sent chills down my spine the first time I heard of it and I jumped at the chance to work with SJN on a major project. SJN defines its mission simply:

“We seek to rebalance the news, so that every day people are exposed to stories that help them understand problems and challenges, and stories that show potential ways to respond.”

Climate Solutions is tackling what might well be the biggest and most urgent problem of our lifetimes. Using direct engagement, education and storytelling, we hope to empower central Pennsylvanians to find solutions to the challenges posed by climate change.

We will methodically break down what the community says it needs and what stands in the way of progress.

We will ask how climate change issues are affecting the lives and livelihoods of central Pennsylvanians.

Frequently using a Solutions Journalism lens, we’ll report on what is working — or could work — to help us meet the challenges climate change presents, and whether those solutions could be used in other communities.

Climate Solutions’ collaboration members are:

• USA Today Network in central Pennsylvania (York Daily Record, Lebanon Daily News, Hanover Evening Sun, Chambersburg Public Opinion, Waynesboro Record Herald and Greencastle Echo Pilot)
• WITF
• Franklin & Marshall College Center for Public Opinion Research
• La Voz Latina Central
• Q’Hubo News
• Sankofa African-American Theater Company
• Shippensburg University
• StateImpact Pennsylvania

Former York Daily Record special projects and enterprise editor Scott Blanchard is the lead editor for Climate Solutions, which gives me the utmost confidence in our ability to make a meaningful impact.

“We’re thrilled to bring together a diverse collection of people and organizations who care about climate change and the challenges it presents, and about helping communities problem-solve,” said Blanchard, who is also senior editor for WITF News and StateImpact Pennsylvania. “It’s a unique partnership. We think our members’ skills, experience and ideas will help elevate the climate story in central Pennsylvania — not to alarm people, but to work with them and open doors to potential solutions.”

Jennie Jenkins-Dallas is publisher of news organization La Voz Latina Central, a Climate Solutions partner.

“We not only want Latinos/Hispanics knowledgeable and aware of climate change, but also to include them in the solutions to slow it down,” she said. “With over one million Latino/Hispanics in Pennsylvania, it is imperative that they make a contribution toward saving our planet.”

The first phase is focused on you, the people of central Pa. We will hold a number of carefully crafted public engagement events at which experts will help identify what you most need and want to know to make the best decisions in this fast-changing world.

Details on those events should be available soon. I hope to see you at these sessions, and I hope you will help explore new, more effective ways of tackling our troubles — together.

Randy Parker is the Central Pennsylvania Executive Editor for the USA TODAY Network, which includes the York Daily Record/Sunday News, Lebanon Daily News, (Hanover) Evening Sun, Chambersburg Public Opinion, (Waynesboro) Record Herald, and (Greencastle) Echo-Pilot. Reach him at rparker@gannett.com. 

 

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