A systematic review of constructive and solutions journalism research

Abstract

Academic activity surrounding constructive and solutions journalism has surged in recent years; thus, it is important to pause and reflect on this growing body of work in order to understand where the field can and should go in the future. We conducted a systematic review of existing literature on solutions and constructive journalism ( N = 94), in an effort to (1) describe the state of this field by identifying the patterns and trends in the methodological and conceptual approaches, topics, institutions, countries and practices involved in this research, and (2) illuminate potentially important gaps in the field and suggest recommendations for future research.

Measuring Constructive Journalism in Kompas.com’s Climate Change Articles

“…Research on constructive journalism also seems to be lacking in Indonesia. This aligns with Lough & McIntyre's (2021) research findings that mainly found constructive journalism research in the United States and Europe-lacking research in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. They call for more research globally to compare how constructive journalism is applied in different countries.…”

“…The term "constructive journalism" was coined by Karen McIntyre and Cathrine Gyldensted in 2017. As of December 2020, 73 published peer-reviewed articles and 21 thesis or dissertations on the concept are found (Lough & McIntyre, 2021). Constructive journalism aims for a more balanced approach where journalists address problems and the solutions and positive examples of how to handle challenges (Skovsgaard & Andersen, n.d.).…”

“…To put into perspective, all solutions journalism is constructive journalism, but not all constructive journalism is solutions journalism (Overgaard, 2021). Lough & McIntyre (2021) recommended future research to define solutions and constructive journalism differently. Thus, this research emphasizes that while both concepts are solution-based reportings, constructive journalism and solutions journalism differ and will not use the terms interchangeably.…”

Periodismo de investigación: análisis bibliométrico, conceptual e intelectual (2000-2020)

“…Dentro de la categoría de las especializaciones periodísticas, en la que se enmarca el objeto de estudio de la presente investigación, se han abordado revisiones sistemáticas sobre el periodismo narrativo (Van Krieken; Sanders, 2021), el periodismo constructivo y de soluciones (Lough;McIntyre, 2021), el periodismo ambiental (Balbé; Loose, 2020) y el periodismo científico (González-Pedraz;Campos-Domínguez, 2015).…”

Evaluating the effects of solutions and constructive journalism: A systematic review of audience-focused research

“…While still relatively new to scholarly study, a healthy body of research has been published about solutions and/or constructive journalism (Lough & McIntyre, 2023). Several of these studies tested the effects of these practices on the audience using experimental methods (e.g., Dahmen et al, 2021;Meier, 2018) and mirrored the claims made from the non-profit organizations that support the practices (Green, n.d.;Green-Barber, 2018).…”