“We kind of knew — but we didn’t.” That wry bit of wisdom from WBBM-TV news director Jeff Harris aptly describes one key role that market research can play: applying data to news decisions that were based on experience, aspiration, and sometimes just gut instinct. In this case, Harris is talking about new research on “solutions journalism” — a set of techniques for rigorous reporting on responses to community problems.
The nonprofit Solutions Journalism Network (SJN) started training local TV newsrooms around the country in its methodology early last year. This fall, following one of its own precepts — namely, the importance of measuring outcomes — SJN commissioned a study from the highly respected research, strategy and design firm SmithGeiger. The results, published just last month, not only affirm the benefits to viewers and stations of embracing a solutions journalism approach, but they may point the way to a significant next stage in the evolution of local TV news.