What is Transformative & Transformational Journalism?

While transformative journalism describes a journalism that has the power to promote change, as in causing change to happen, transformational journalism relates to the type of journalism that is part of a movement to do better journalism for the local communities and for the public in general. At Communities of Hope we strive to be both. We work with communities, from individuals to organizations, providing training, jobs, and education to build up those communities (transformative) and we collaborate with those communities’ organizations and individuals to bring information that is useful and meaningful to the communities (i.e. see solutions journalism above). We are also part of a movement to change journalism itself. We are part of the Solutions Journalism Network, for example, and active members of Gather (engagement journalism), and use solidarity, reformation, reparative, and reciprocal journalism techniques in our work. In other words, we are here for the communities with whom we work, not for some shareholder far from here.