Assessing the Role Performance of Solutions Journalism in a Global Pandemic

This research compares the role performance of solutions journalism in reporting the COVID-19 pandemic in 25 countries and regions. While solutions journalism performed more interventionist, facilitator, and civic-oriented roles overall, it highlighted different responses and responders in the coverage and exemplified different roles in various regions. Solutions journalism enacted more interventionist and facilitator roles when reporting the government-led containment of the virus in East Asia and non-U.S. Western countries where COVID-19 cases were lower. Solutions journalism performed a civic-oriented role to report the grassroots’ efforts to combat the pandemic in the United States, where COVID-19 infection was more severe. However, solutions journalism failed to implement service role and watchdog role in a time of crisis when the public needs more how-to advice and accountability.