To strengthen local journalism and encourage greater connection between reporters and Charlotte residents, Solutions Journalism Network launched the Charlotte Journalism Collaborative (CJC) in 2019.
Features
‘Status quo is not working.' Can Charlotte find solutions for affordable housing crisis?
May 13, 2019
With this story, the Charlotte Journalism Collaborative launched “I Can’t Afford to Live Here,” exploring the city’s affordable housing crisis through a solutions journalism lens.
From Brooklyn to Ballantyne: The story behind Charlotte’s affordable housing crisis
June 17, 2019
Charlotte’s history of affordable housing includes broken promises and empty gestures.
I Can’t Afford to Live Here.
September 16, 2019
Glenn Burkins of QCity Metro, David Boraks from WFAE radio and WCNC’s Fred Shropshire have a roundtable discussion about Charlotte’s affordable housing crisis.
An in-depth look at Charlotte’s affordable housing crisis
September 17, 2019
Special feature on Charlotte’s affordable housing crisis from WCNC Charlotte.
Collaborative Projects
Artists, journalists collaborate on graphic novel about COVID cases in Charlotte
January 27, 2021
A graphic novel called “PANDEM!C: Stories of COVID-19,” a joint project of CJC and the artist-led BOOM was a collaboration of eight area journalists and eight local artists that shared how COVID-19 had affected the lives of real people in Charlotte and beyond.
‘Going to be the big one:’ Renters, advocates brace for end of eviction moratorium
July 1, 2021
Reporters for the Charlotte Journalism Collaborative examined, by hand, more than 700 eviction orders issued at the Mecklenburg County Courthouse between October 2020 and April 2021.
Solutions City
October 27, 2022
Journalists from four Charlotte news outlets — The Charlotte Observer, Qnotes, WCNC Charlotte and WFAE — joined forces to tell these stories. We set out to answer whether what works in other cities could be part of Charlotte’s panacea — a Solutions City, of sorts.
Habitat for Humanity as a model for affordable housing
December 6, 2023
These stories represent the work of six reporters and combine to create a comprehensive exploration of one of the oldest models for affordable housing in Charlotte. It is part of our “I Can’t Afford to Live Here,” project – a multi-year collaborative reporting project focused on solutions to the affordable housing crisis.
More from our partners
COLLABORATION
media and community partners
About the project
To strengthen local journalism and encourage greater connection between reporters and Charlotte residents, Solutions Journalism Network launched the Charlotte Journalism Collaborative (CJC) in 2019 with funding from the Knight Foundation.
The CJC is modeled on the Solutions Journalism Network method of investigating and reporting news with a primary focus on solutions to community problems. “At a time when local journalism jobs are disappearing and trust in media has hit an all-time low, the Solutions Journalism Network has taken on the challenge by organizing collaborative journalism reporting projects that promote excellent reporting and civic dialogue. the model has the potential to be part of a new wave of great local reporting, which is vital to building strong communities,” said Karen Rundlet, Knight Foundation director for journalism.
The CJC strengthens the local news ecosystem and increases opportunities for engagement. It is supported by a combination of local and national grants and sponsorships.
Members of the collaborative include Carolina Public Press, Charlotte Mecklenburg Library, The Charlotte Observer, James L. Knight School of Communication at Queens University of Charlotte, La Noticia, QCity Metro, Qnotes, WCNC Charlotte and WFAE 90.7 FM.
Thank you to the following organizations who have supported the Charlotte Journalism Collaborative.
