Declining trust in journalism and increasing levels of intentional news avoidance pose significant challenges to contemporary media systems and democratic societies. As audiences increasingly perceive news coverage as overwhelmingly negative and emotionally exhausting, solutions journalism (SJ) has emerged as a promising journalistic approach that complements problem-oriented reporting with evidence-based responses to societal challenges. While previous research suggests that SJ may foster more positive emotional responses, empirical evidence regarding its effects on trust in journalistic content and news avoidance remains limited.
This study investigates the effects of SJ on trust in journalistic content and intentional news avoidance using a one-factor between-subjects experimental design. A representative sample of the German population (N = 361) was randomly assigned to read either a traditional news article or one of two solutions-oriented versions differing in the placement of solution-related information (primacy vs. recency). Data were analyzed using t-tests, regression analyses, and mediation models.
The findings demonstrate that SJ significantly reduces intentional news avoidance by lowering perceived negativity and avoidance tendencies. Effects on readers‘ interest were small and limited to the recency condition. Contrary to expectations, no significant overall effect of SJ on trust in journalistic content was observed, although positive affect emerged as a small indirect mechanism without translating into higher overall trust. Trust also did not mediate the relationship between SJ and intentional news avoidance, and no significant differences were found between the primacy and recency conditions.
Overall, the study suggests that SJ is a promising strategy for reducing intentional news avoidance by alleviating the emotional burden of news consumption. However, its capacity to strengthen trust in journalistic content appears more complex and may require repeated exposure or longer-term processes. These findings contribute to the growing literature on SJ and offer practical implications for journalism in an increasingly challenging media environment.