PARIS — Conflict, scandal, disrepair: the bad news must be reported, wrongdoing exposed. Still, journalism too often is obsessed solely with what is broken — the breaking news, in every sense of the word.
Worldcrunch Impact takes a different starting point, with another question that journalists should ask: How might things get better? How can we build smarter schools and cities, improve our personal health and social inclusion and who knows what else?
It is called solutions journalism, a quest for good ideas and innovations that in the best cases may wind up being replicated as frequently and far and wide as possible.
Because Worldcrunch’s founding mission is to deliver great global stories in English, regardless of the language in which they were originally produced, we are in a unique position to offer a particularly broad range of potential solutions.
We have identified works of journalism that highlight programs, people, systems and innovations that are making the world a better place. We will focus on one particular subject per month, starting with:
- Education Innovation: how technology is improving learning
- Future Farming: the organic revolution and its benefits
- Smart Cities: innovative urban advances making our cities more livable
This series was made possible by our readers, through a Kickstarter campaign of “crowdfunding,” itself an innovation that may be among the solutions for the future of journalism. (See the list of our Kickstarter backers, and ways you can join the effort.)
We must also say a big merci! to all of our 20-plus source partners, with a special thanks to Le Nouvel Observateur, Süddeutsche Zeitung and Internazionale who have signed on as distribution partners for Worldcrunch Impact.
Garrett Goodman, Worldcrunch's head of innovation, has guided the project from the outset, while Emily Liedel, our editor for special projects, has overseen the editorial production. You may have noticed a new redesign of our website, which was rolled out in record time for the launch of Impact thanks to the work of our Croatian technical team led by CTO Ivan Majstorovic and designer Dario Krznar. Thanks to all of them, and the entire Worldcrunch team!
A few final words about this new approach: The aim is to tackle the subjects with as broad a scope as possible. Solutions don’t always fit into easily defined parameters, and some of the best ideas come at the intersection of disciplines. Needless to say, not all solutions being pursued in good faith are the right ones, and some can even present new problems of their own.
No, we don't claim to have the answers. Our goal instead was simply to make accessible stories from around the world that we find thought-provoking and subject matter focused on finding positive outcomes. Our hope is that these first three series are only the start to Worldcrunch’s ongoing search to steer coverage that not only exposes wrongdoing, but also shines a light on what people are doing right. They say that journalism is the first rough draft of history — perhaps it can also be the first blueprint for a better future.
—Jeff Israely, Worldcrunch editor
