Independent journalism organisation Transitions is supporting the Czech weekly Respekt to pilot new approaches to Solutions Journalism — reporting that highlights responses to social challenges as well as the problems.

The initiative builds on the Page 404 pilot run in 2023 and 2024, with support from an Evens Foundation microgrant, and comes as the newsroom prepares for national elections this October.

The Respekt newsroom has drafted a new mission statement that places readers’ concerns at the centre of its work. An online engagement phase is planned for the summer, giving audiences the chance to share the issues that matter most to them. This will be followed by offline events designed to continue the dialogue between journalists and readers in the run-up to the elections.

Through this collaboration, Transitions and Respekt aim to show how Solutions Journalism can support more meaningful public debate, build trust in media, and highlight practical responses to shared challenges.

“At Respekt, you will find all the coverage of political battles and the so-called ‘big topics’ shaping this year’s elections. But we also want to reverse the lens – we want to ask you, our readers and voters, what matters to you before the elections and what you feel is missing from the debate. We want to hear from you in person, on social media, and in your email responses – and then go into the field, ask those responsible, and seek solutions to our shared problems, whether already proven in the Czech Republic or abroad.” – Respekt Mission Statement.

This work is supported through the Evens Foundation’s Strategic Microgrants initiative, which helps independent organisations test new approaches to media, culture, democracy, and civic participation.