Well, I went to a fascinating presentation at the BBC, where I used to work as a senior producer. The invitation said, ‘Danish Public broadcasting claims great success with integrating a solutions-focused approach across all their News output. Please join us for lunch to hear from them about how they did it and learn more about Solutions-Focused Journalism.’ |
As it turn out, in Denmark they call it ‘Constructive Journalism’ and their speakers made no mention of Solutions Focus, which was not surprising given that their approach is not especially solutions-focused. With my professional history as a fully-functional news reporter who later developed an interest in positive approaches to change, I really love this Constructive Journalism. I think it could mark a significant advance in news broadcasting and perhaps play a useful part in improving the training of journalists. Why the BBC is choosing to rename it Solutions-Focused Journalism is a mystery. It may be because one of their execs associated with the project heard the phrase during some coaching training and either misunderstands it or has decided to re-appropriate it. Or perhaps there is a confusion with what is sometimes called Solutions Journalism in the USA. Whether that turns out to be a wonderful boost for our ‘brand’ or simply confusing, we shall see. Meanwhile, it’s good to see them taking steps in the Danish direction. |