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

DEADLINE EXTENDED: Call for Panelists and Abstracts
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: January 9, 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 which offers 
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 from across 
diverse reportorial arenas such as climate change, economy, governance, 
religion, education, conflict, health, and beyond. We are especially 
interested in submissions 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, 
is expected to foster a 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, 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 January 
9, 2026.
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