There was a time when a story on impact investing would have been what we at the Solutions Journalism Network call “think tank” journalism, a solutions journalism imposter.

Think tank stories propose what solutions should exist, rather than reporting on how people are currently responding to social problems and the associated results.

At the Social Capital Markets conference, an annual gathering of entrepreneurs and investors who work at the intersection of money and meaning took a close look at how impact investing is delivering on its promise of social impact and financial returns.

At our workshop recently, he shared some principles the ImpactAlpha team follows, including

  • “follow the money,” because a real investor putting real money into a real venture is a newsworthy event;
  • “follow the talent,” because the career moves in this sector matter for the shape it will take in the future; and
  • “see around corners,” because tracking the trends allows reporters to be ahead of the curve.

Read the full article by Catherine Cheney about solutions journalism from The Whole Story