A panel of WITF journalists visited Stewart Hall at Shippensburg University on Wednesday to educate SU students on climate change and solutions journalism.

The panelists included WITF’s director of journalism Scott Blanchard, StateImpact Pennsylvania reporter Rachel McDevitt and StateImpact Pennsylvania’s mass media fellow Unnati Akhouri. Each of these Climate Solutions team members shared their experiences with solutions journalism and gave advice about their line of work.  

Blanchard started the panel by introducing the panel and some of the work that has been done within the team. He mentioned important collaborations that Climate Solutions has been a part of, such as the York Daily Record, Franklin & Marshall College and Sanfoka African American Theatre Co. Blanchard also went into detail about the difference between traditional journalism and solutions journalism. 

McDevitt shared several climate stories she has covered and went into detail on her journalistic process. She has covered stories including flooding in Middletown, farmers changing the apples they plant and greenhouse gas initiatives in Washington and Pennsylvania. McDevitt’s experience in climate coverage made it so students could hear a first-hand perspective of what solutions journalism stands for.

“Part of the work is not just saying ‘here’s the perfect solution,’ but here is what somebody else is doing.” Mcdevitt said. “You want to be very clear eyed about what solution means, whether it’s positive or negative.” 

The panel discussed the different types of solutions journalism throughout the evening. Akhouri gave her insight on the multimedia aspect of climate reporting, including audio and video. Akhouri explained how visuals such as videos, storyboards and infographics can sometimes be the best method to tell certain stories. She also emphasized the importance of curiosity in climate journalism. 

“I was apprehensive that, if I reach out and talk to people, how do I develop trust?” Akhouri said. “A big part of it was being curious … and keeping this mindset of, ‘We are here to learn.’”

Once each journalist wrapped up their respective topics, the floor was opened to the SU students in attendance. This portion allowed students across many departments to ask specific questions about climate and journalism. The questions lead to discussions about topics like the political aspect of climate, how to effectively distribute reliable information and a deeper dive into solutions journalism.

As the event came to a close, McDevitt said “Solutions journalism, I think, is a hopeful type journalism, because it doesn’t just focus on the problem. It’s also focusing on people doing things.”  

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