PRSA Georgia: Craft Compelling Stories and Connections With Solutions Journalist Network Newsrooms: How PR Professionals Can Collaborate With Solutions Storytelling

In a world full of pandemics and social unrest, aren’t we all looking for solutions? The team operating on three continents for the non-profit Solutions Journalism Network is passionate about news storytelling that helps us get smarter together and build a better world. SJN trains and connects journalists to cover what’s missing in today’s news: how people are responding to problems. From COVID-19 and antiracism to how communities are meeting to racial inequity in the U.S. criminal justice system, it’s time for strategic communicators to craft stories and make connections that help bring solutions journalism to every newsroom – and boardroom – worldwide.

During this special media month seminar, we’ll discover how PR pros can start contributing to solutions journalism. Hear from Michael Davis and Taylor Nelson with the Solutions Journalism Network team, as they share:

• What is Solutions Journalism?
• How do you know if you have a story worthy of a Solutions Journalism Network editor?
• How do you craft a pitch with the correct data and compelling insights that stick?
• How can you globalize a local story to accurately spread knowledge of ideas at work to support more communities?
• How your organization can become a resource to support journalists seeking solutions stories.

Get a jump start on this seminar session by visiting the Solutions Journalism Network website and reading SJN stories, including “The Business of Burps” from the New York Times Sunday Business section, published in April, and Michael Davis’s follow-up interview with Adam Satariano, the reporter of that piece, from his post in London.

If you’re inspired to help, click here donate to the Solutions Journalism Network.

* Virtual sessions are available on-demand 24-48 hours after the event for 30-days; register today to receive the recorded session if you’re not available to join live.

Speakers Include: 

Michael Davis, Southern Region Manager, Solutions Journalism Network

Michael Davis has held an array of top leadership and creative positions at digital news sites, magazines, newspapers and broadcasting outlets. He was a Nieman Fellow at Harvard University during the 1986-87 academic year. Later he wrote the New York Times Non-Fiction Best Seller “Street Gang: The Complete History of Sesame Street” and is a co-executive producer of the feature-length documentary film adapted from the book. He received his undergraduate degree at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a master’s in journalism at Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, where he later taught as an adjunct professor. He describes himself as a storyteller who helps others become better storytellers.

Taylor Nelson, Vice President of Knowledge Dissemination, Solutions Journalism Network

Taylor Nelson has worked with SJN since 2013. As Vice President of Knowledge Dissemination, she directs SJN’s Knowledge Dissemination program aimed at accelerating the diffusion of solutions stories into society and, in turn, build demand for more and higher-quality solutions reporting. Since 2015, she has spearheaded the design, development, and expansion of SolutionsU.org. Taylor cares about better connecting you with solutions stories about responses to problems that you care about and/or your community is currently facing. She’s a design thinking and StrengthsFinder enthusiast, who loves a good flow chart (and cup of coffee). Taylor holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology and Community Studies from the College of William and Mary.