Independent Academic Research

Below is a short list of recent peer-reviewed academic studies that interrogate and illuminate aspects of constructive journalism, covering topics like conceptual foundations, industry perspectives and practices, audiences and impacts. This is not an exhaustive list of all peer-reviewed scholarly work on constructive journalism - rather, it provides a snapshot of themes and areas of focus on the topic within journalism and media studies.

Conceptual foundations and research themes

Ahva, L., & Hautakangas, M. (2018). Why Do We Suddenly Talk So Much About Constructiveness? Journalism Practice, 12(6), 657–661. https://doi.org/10.1080/17512786.2018.1470474

Bro, P. (2018). Constructive journalism: Proponents, precedents, and principles. Journalism, 20(4), 504-519. https://doi.org/10.1177/1464884918770523

Hermans, L., & Drok, N. (2018). Placing Constructive Journalism in Context. Journalism Practice, 12(6), 679–694. https://doi.org/10.1080/17512786.2018.1470900

Lough, K., & McIntyre, K. (2021). A systematic review of constructive and solutions journalism research. Journalism, 24(5), 1069-1088. https://doi.org/10.1177/14648849211044559

Industry perspectives, practices and training

Allam, R. (2019). Constructive Journalism in Arab Transitional Democracies: Perceptions, Attitudes and Performance. Journalism Practice, 13(10), 1273–1293. https://doi.org/10.1080/17512786.2019.1588145

Bird, D. (2025). Democratic Podcasting: Mediating Subjectivity in Constructive Audio Journalism Practice. Journalism Practice, 1–21. https://doi.org/10.1080/17512786.2024.2448762

Djerf-Pierre, M., & Ekström, M. (2025). Constructive Journalism as Practice—Storytelling in Solutions-Focused News Reporting in Mainstream News Media. Journalism Practice, 1–19. https://doi.org/10.1080/17512786.2025.2461213

Fölscher-Kingwill, B., & Wasserman, H. (2024). The Ideal and Practice of Constructive Journalism: How South African Journalists Perceive Their Roles. Journalism Practice, 1–21. https://doi.org/10.1080/17512786.2024.2362802

Lindgren, M., & Jorgensen, B. (2023). Podcasting and constructive journalism in health stories about antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Media International Australia, 187(1), 73-87. https://doi.org/10.1177/1329878X221148499.

McIntyre, K., & Kibarabara, J. (2025). How East African Journalists Make Meaning of Solutions and Constructive Journalism. Journalism Practice, 1–23. https://doi.org/10.1080/17512786.2025.2522462

Røsok-Dahl, H. (2025). Unpacking the Practices of Constructive Journalism to Reach Young People with News. Journalism Practice, 1–20. https://doi.org/10.1080/17512786.2025.2537815

van Antwerpen, N., Fielding, V., Hermans, L., Stephens, R. G., Opozda, M., & Kovacevic, P. (2025). Evaluation of an online self-paced constructive journalism training course for health reporting. Journalism, 0(0). https://doi.org/10.1177/14648849251362460

van Antwerpen, N., & Hermans, L. (2025). “It’s more of a mindset”: Journalism professionals’ perceptions and experiences of constructive journalism. Journalism, 0(0). https://doi.org/10.1177/14648849251331262

Audience and impacts

Baden, D., McIntyre, K., & Homberg, F. (2019). The Impact of Constructive News on Affective and Behavioural Responses. Journalism Studies, 20(13), 1940–1959. https://doi.org/10.1080/1461670X.2018.1545599

Hermans, L., & Drok, N. (2018). Placing Constructive Journalism in Context. Journalism Practice, 12(6), 679–694. https://doi.org/10.1080/17512786.2018.1470900

Li, X., & Zhao, K. (2025). Perceptions and expectations of constructive journalism in risk contexts: Insights from Chinese lockdown period during COVID-19. Journalism, 0(0). https://doi.org/10.1177/14648849251363116

McIntyre, K., & Lough, K. (2023). Evaluating the effects of solutions and constructive journalism: A systematic review of audience-focused research. Newspaper Research Journal, 44(3), 276-300. https://doi.org/10.1177/07395329231187622

Overgaard, C. S. B. (2022). Mitigating the consequences of negative news: How constructive journalism enhances self-efficacy and news credibility. Journalism, 24(7), 1424-1441. https://doi.org/10.1177/14648849211062738

van Antwerpen, N., Fielding, V., Ross, A., Searston, R. A., Kovacevic, P., Ejova, A., … Morgan, A. (2025). Testing Constructive Journalism’s Effects on Stigma, Trust, and Engagement. Journalism Studies, 26(13), 1572–1593. https://doi.org/10.1080/1461670X.2025.2559018