Story Search Results

Advanced Search

There are so many ways to search the solutions journalism stories in this database. Explore our searchable fields:

Search Results

You searched for: -

There are 223 results for your search. View and Refine Your Search Terms

In a Pennsylvania town, a Facebook group fills the local news void

Brandy Zadrozny

April 05, 2021 |

NBC News |

Text |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Chippewa Township, Pennsylvania

In areas with no newspapers, locals are increasingly turning to Facebook groups to share resources and information about local happenings, particularly crime. Many of The News Alerts of Beaver County's 43,000 members praise the benefits of the group, in which members can post and comment on local news, including everything from infrastructure and businesses to lost dogs and suspected criminals on the loose. However, critics claim it is a hub for misinformation and vigilantism. The group is moderated, but the misinformation, which is shared in good faith by neighbors, is hard to spot without training.

Read More
Go to Original Story
Sanbornton Connect(s) seniors aging in place

Roberta Baker

March 24, 2021 |

The Laconia Daily Sun |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Sanbornton, New Hampshire

Sanbornton Connect is a local information exchange and social network for aging residents who share advice about meeting the physical, mental, and emotional challenges of living out their years independently in their own homes. The network started just before the pandemic, but quickly filled a vacuum left by the community's shutdown. Three dozen residents gather monthly on Zoom to trade tips and hear from experts. The goal is to provide personal connections in a sparsely populated town, and in a way that helps people plan before they're in a crisis as their health declines.

Read More
Go to Original Story
Gen Z Angels: How A Younger Generation Of Investors Is Getting In On Deals

Sophia Kunthara

March 16, 2021 |

Crunchbase News |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States

Gen Z VCs supports early-career and aspiring venture capitalists who want to become angel investors. The group was founded in November 2020, after the Securities and Exchange Commission loosened the rules about who can invest in early-stage startups and allowed start-ups to raise money through crowd-funding. The group, which has grown to more than 6,000 members, moderates Slack channels where members can post deals, help make connections, and share information to demystify the world of angel investing.

Read More
Go to Original Story
The plus-size knitters who are solving an inclusivity problem

Mia Sato

March 10, 2021 |

The Verge |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States

Knitters are using social media, crowdsourcing, and spreadsheets to make the knitwear industry more inclusive of different body types. Designer Sarah Krentz offers patterns using an interactive spreadsheet where knitters fill in key measurements like bust, waist, and bicep circumference and the pattern automatically populates with the correct number of stitches and rows based on a pre-set formula created by Krentz. Fat Test Knits connects designers to plus size knitters who will test the patters. The site also serves as a bulletin board where moderators have vetted and shared over 500 patterns since 2019.

Read More
Go to Original Story
PPE for the People

Kathrin Yaromich

February 10, 2021 |

Transitions Online |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Belarus

During the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic, volunteers across Belarus worked together to collect and deliver personal protective equipment to frontline workers, despite the Belarusian government denying the spread of the coronavirus. Using social media to organize, the volunteers "served as a kind of SWAT team able to bypass the bureaucracy to obtain the necessary equipment."

Read More
Go to Original Story
N.Y.'s Vaccine Websites Weren't Working. He Built a New One for $50.

Sharon Otterman

February 09, 2021 |

The New York Times |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, New York, New York

Online volunteer assistance efforts in New York have played a crucial role in the dissemination of the COVID-19 vaccine, while city and state appointment systems have caused confusion or created barriers for many. Although these efforts can't address all barriers, such as lack of computer access or literacy, they have been used by thousands of people each day to find available appointment times.

Read More
Go to Original Story
With Car Heists At Record Levels, Citizen Sleuths Take To Facebook To Find Their Stolen Rides

Bob Chiarito

February 03, 2021 |

Block Club Chicago |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Chicago, Illinois

The Chicago Stolen Car Directory is a Facebook group that helps people find their stolen cars and makes the police aware of abandoned cars that may have been stolen. The recently formed group, with 14,400 members, has helped recover more than 200 cars at a time when auto theft and carjackings in Chicago have risen substantially. While the group's effect on the crime rate is unknown, it has encouraged more aggressive enforcement efforts while reuniting people with their property.

Read More
Go to Original Story
"We're not just relics of the past": How #NativeTikTok is preserving Indigenous cultures and inspiring a younger generation

Li Cohen

January 28, 2021 |

CBS News |

Multi-Media |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Navajo Nation, United States

Native and Indigenous individuals are using TikTok to share aspects of their traditions, challenge stereotypes, and empower young people to be proud of their culture. The videos range from instructional, teaching people indigenous languages or dance, to putting a "cultural spin" on trending content. The hashtag #NativeTikTok has over 1.3 billion views and users comment that the videos help them feel more connected to and proud of their cultures. The videos follow the tradition of preserving culture through storytelling and offer positive representations of Native and Indigenous people and their cultures.

Read More
Go to Original Story
Harnessing People Power to Protect Alaska's Last Remaining Wilderness

Breanna Draxler

January 27, 2021 |

Yes! Magazine |

Multi-Media |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Alaska

A viral campaign from Indigenous activists, TikTok creators, and documentary filmmakers led to about 6.3 million letters being sent to federal agencies encouraging them to halt fossil fuel development in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. They created social media content and a toolkit for creators to use on their platforms that made it easy for the message to spread.

Read More
Go to Original Story
“What You Share Defines You”: Indonesia Has World's Biggest Fact-Checking Network

Meleva Thorn Sienna Curnow

January 16, 2021 |

The Jakarta Globe |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Indonesia

CekFakta is a collaborative network that fights misinformation with around 6,000 fact-checkers from major Indonesian media organizations, citizens, and academics. The group holds training sessions to help journalists identify doctored images and misinformation, with the idea that participants will pass the skills on to their colleagues. CekFakta impacted 2019 presidential debates with large-scale, real-time, collaborative fact-checking that enabled a quick release of fact-checked information. The collaborative process is key to helping people find high-quality information amid so much online content.

Read More
Go to Original Story