[Commlist] Call for Panellists and Abstract Submission: Changing the Narrative: Exploring constructive storytelling as practice, pedagogy, and sustainability model in African journalism

Call for Panellists and Abstract Submission

Changing the Narrative: Exploring constructive storytelling as practice, 
pedagogy, and sustainability model in African journalism

Conference: The 10th Annual Conference of the Lagos Studies Association
Conference Theme: The State of African Studies in the 21st Century: The 
Lagos Studies Association @ 10
Format: Hybrid (In-person, University of Lagos and Virtual)
Conference Date: June 16–20, 2026

Abstract Deadline: December 30, 2025
Panel Organisers: Dr. Rasheed Adebiyi (Fountain University, Osogbo, 
Nigeria) and Dr. Jamiu Folarin (Crescent University, Abeokuta, Nigeria)

Across Africa, a new generation of journalists and educators is 
reimagining how stories are told, moving beyond crisis and catastrophe 
to spotlight innovation, resilience, and evidence-based solutions. This 
panel explores Solutions Journalism (SoJo) as a transformative framework 
that reshapes both the practice and pedagogy of journalism, offering 
newsrooms and classrooms fresh tools for redefining Africa’s narrative 
in the 21st century.

Driven globally by the Solutions Journalism Network (SJN) and advanced 
through its African partners, Nigeria Health Watch in Nigeria and 
Science Africa in Kenya, the SoJo movement is gaining traction as a 
credible journalistic and pedagogical approach. Its rise coincides with 
a critical moment: growing evidence of news avoidance and information 
poverty among African audiences fatigued by persistent crisis-driven 
coverage. As SoJo emphasizes evidence-based responses and systemic 
insights rather than mere problem description, it presents an 
alternative storytelling model capable of rebuilding audience trust, 
deepening engagement, and contributing to media sustainability.

The panel invites papers and practice-based contributions across diverse 
reportorial arenas such as climate change, economy, governance, 
religion, education, conflict, health, and beyond. Submissions are 
especially welcome that:

• Examine case studies of SoJo in African newsrooms
• Explore the pedagogy of teaching SoJo in journalism curricula
• Reflect on newsroom–classroom collaborations
• Interrogate the limits and challenges of SoJo in reorienting Africa’s 
narratives
• Compare SoJo with traditional reporting practices in African contexts
• Evaluate the economic and revenue dimensions of SoJo, including 
audience engagement, media sustainability, and innovative funding models 
emerging from constructive storytelling
• Analyze SoJo’s potential in countering misinformation, news fatigue, 
and the erosion of public trust in African media ecosystems
• Review the impact of positive or negative narratives on the 
development of Africa

The panel, which brings journalism educators and practitioners together, 
seeks to foster dialogue that highlights how constructive reporting and 
teaching can collectively shift entrenched paradigms. It asks: How can 
SoJo challenge deficit-driven portrayals? How might it enrich journalism 
training and practice in Africa? And what role does it play in 
transforming knowledge production, media sustainability, and civic trust 
in the 21st century?

To participate in this panel, please send a 250-word abstract, along 
with your name, affiliation, email address, and short bio, to 
(adebiyi.rasheed /at/ fuo.edu.ng) <mailto:(adebiyi.rasheed /at/ fuo.edu.ng)>
  and (jamiu.folarin /at/ cuab.edu.ng) <mailto:(jamiu.folarin /at/ cuab.edu.ng)>
  by December 30, 2025. Accepted participants will be notified by 
January 1, 2026.
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