“There has been a bit of a tradition of saying, 'Here is the information -- good night, see you tomorrow.' We will deal more with the solutions, get involved and tell people what they can do,” says SF Chronicle editor Phil Bronstein.

The Chronicle experimented with this approach earlier this year, during a 20-day lockout at a trash company in Oakland. The paper covered the story but also focused on how these events affected the neighborhood.

"It is more about solutions, helping them understand what they can do about things," says Bronstein. "Yes, there are murders in Bayview, and Muni is broken down. But what can you do about it?"

“Other approaches might include bringing an issue or problem to a public official, such as a law enforcement leader or mayor and pinning them down for answers and a plan of action,” reports Editor & Publisher.

The San Francisco Chronicle recently cut 90 of its 400 newsroom staffers. This ‘Journalism of Action’ approach will also help rely on reader contributions and comments, and explore the possibilities of multimedia.

It seems like this marks a return to more engaged journalism and true ‘citizen’ journalism. Not a bad evolution in an industry that sometimes tends to be increasingly concerned with stories superfluous to its real-life readers.

"Every newspaper is talking about watchdog journalism," says Bronstein. “That is different from advocacy, which is telling people what to think."

Well done.

Source: Editor & Publisher