The Philadelphia Journalism Collaborative (PJC) has found a new permanent home in the Klein College of Media and Communication’s Center for Community-Engaged Media (CCEM). The move was made possible through support from the Comcast Corporation, Wyncote Foundation and the Lenfest Institute for Journalism.
The PJC is an ongoing partnership of 30 local newsrooms that publish in four mediums and six languages. Its origins go back to 2016, when a small group of local newsrooms, along with members of the Klein College, came together to try out a new concept: collaborative solutions journalism.
“Resolve Philly founded and stewarded the Philadelphia Journalism Collaborative, and we're thrilled to work with Temple so the PJC can write its next chapter with the Center for Community-Engaged Media,” Sara Shahriari, executive director of Resolve Philly, said. “Now, the PJC will continue its impactful work on issues, including economic mobility in Philadelphia, while also playing a key role in training the next generation of Philly journalists in community-centered and collaborative reporting. It's an amazing opportunity for this work to shape Philadelphia journalism for many years to come.”
The collaborative’s signature reporting project, Broke in Philly, presented solutions-oriented stories on economic mobility in Philadelphia. Its innovative solutions journalism approach has been praised by the former chair of the Pulitzer Prize as a promising response to the collapse of the local news industry, and the model has been replicated by reporting projects around the globe.
The PJC centers its work around community impact, providing news and information that is for and with its community rather than just about them. Gene Sonn, the PJC’s full-time program manager, is a key player in the PJC’s transition from Resolve Philly to the CCEM. While collaboration may be new to some in journalism, Sonn has been getting newsrooms to work together since 1998. He first did this as a reporter, then as WHYY’s news director and Resolve’s senior director of collaborations.
“Solutions journalism is reporting that seeks to shed light on what is not working properly and looking at options and ideas that address it,” Sonn said. “Why that is important has everything to do with the people we are trying to serve, along with the journalists doing the work. Reporting that takes a solutions approach is better received, works against news fatigue and helps people see that there are approaches to address persisting problems.”
In his evolving role with Temple, Sonn will cover editorial support, project management, external communication, professional development for partner newsrooms and community engagement. His collaborations with students, faculty and the CCEM can help elevate the PJC’s reporting.
“The Philadelphia Journalism Collaborative represents one of the foundational cooperative news projects in the nation,” Letrell Deshan Crittenden, director of the CCEM, said. “Under Resolve, it served as a model for other efforts across the country. We at Klein and with the Center for Community-Engaged Media are honored to continue its legacy of serving Philadelphia and hope to use the resources of our university to enhance how it serves the civic and information needs of our communities.”