About The Project

Social Media for
Solutions Journalism

Produced by NYU Studio 20’s Spring 2023 Writing, Reporting, and Research II class, "Social Media for SoJo" is a guidebook designed to assist journalists interested in creating solutions stories with social media storytelling approaches. The guidebook does not claim to be a one-size-fits-all solution for social solutions stories, but rather a tool for journalists and newsrooms to understand the possibilities that social media platforms afford. By utilizing these platforms, journalists can create compelling and engaging solutions journalism and reach new and younger audiences.

"Social Media for SoJo" represents the culmination of months of research and class discussions focused on journalism's current challenges. In such an environment, solutions stories have emerged as a potential answer for several of the issues faced by journalism. We consider this guidebook as a living document and sincerely hope that you find our experiences and insights helpful.

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Team

Who we are

Jesus Mesa

jesusmesa92@gmail.com

Jesus is a Colombian journalist who is passionate about discovering innovative ways to connect with audiences. As a reporter, he has worked at El Espectador, Revista Cambio and Revista Semana in Colombia, and has also been awarded fellowships from the International Center for Journalists (ICFJ), The Carter Center and the Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma at Columbia University.

Lena Sernoff

lena.sernoff@nyu.edu

Lena is a digital storyteller and podcast producer with a passion for innovation in media and business. She has worked at Google and LinkedIn in AdTech and has experience in blogging and SEO at Wix. Her journalism interests include AI, VR, and audio.

Bharbi Hazarika

bh2542@nyu.edu

Bharbi is a multimedia storyteller, interested in audience development and content strategy. She recently finished interning at The Wall Street Journal, where she worked on the digital platforms desk. Previously, she worked for CNN as a part-time editorial producer. She was also part of the New York Times Student Journalism Institute’s 2021 cohort. Born and raised in Assam, India, she loves reading, cooking, and being a cat mom.

Anthony Esguerra

anthony.esguerra@nyu.edu

Anthony Esguerra is a Filipino multimedia journalist and an aspiring journalism innovator. He founded Factual, an independent newsroom based on Facebook Messenger in the Philippines. He was most recently Southeast Asia Reporter for VICE and VICE World News and is a stringer for the Voice of America. Anthony is deeply committed to bridging the gap between newsrooms and audiences, with a focus on news product development. He considers himself a connoisseur of choral music.

Owen Berg

ob2137@nyu.edu

Owen is a journalist and graphic designer from Oxford, Ohio. He is currently interested in audience engagement and product, and will intern with NBC News Digital’s Art and Photo team in the summer of 2023. He previously studied journalism and interactive media at Miami University of Ohio.

Kathryn Thier

kat9323@nyu.edu

Kathryn has taught solutions journalism to students at the University of Oregon and New York University and to journalists in the Czech Republic, Denmark, Kazakhstan, and Slovakia. With colleagues and support from the Solutions Journalism Network, she created the Solutions Journalism Educators Academy, which has trained university faculty from several countries on how to teach solutions journalism. She is a doctoral candidate at the University of Maryland whose solutions journalism research has won awards from two major communication scholarship associations.