Solutions Lab
A free training program designed to teach the fundamentals of solutions journalism
Are you an emerging local journalist covering underreported crises in your region? Are you an experienced journalist looking to grow your skills and reach more people with your reporting?
Counterpart is pleased to announce its inaugural Solutions Lab, a training program designed to teach the fundamentals of solutions journalism. The first instalment of this training program will focus on short-form vertical video formats.
Selected participants will undergo an intensive and collaborative 2-hour online training with journalists from around the world who are interested in integrating solutions journalism into their work.
Upon completion of the workshop, participants will develop a concept and script for a solutions-focussed vertical video with professional editorial guidance and feedback from Counterpart’s founder and editor Maxine Betteridge-Moes. They will also have the opportunity to publish their final video on Counterpart’s YouTube and Instagram channels.
Where and when
This 2-hour training will take place online on Thursday November 19 2026 from 12-2pm GMT.
Applications close on Thursday 12 November at 5pm GMT.
Who can apply
This free 2-hour online training program is open to local journalists covering underreported crises in their region, including conflicts, climate change impacts, gender-based violence, environmental exploitation, and more. Journalists interested in learning more about the fundamentals of solutions journalism and how to integrate this approach into their work are welcome to apply. Due to limited capacity, preference will be given to those reporting on the region in which they live and are from, particularly those in the Global South.
How to apply
Applicants should complete a short application form which includes details of their journalism experience and the story/stories they are interested in covering from their region.
About Counterpart
Founded in August 2026, Counterpart is a new media platform covering stories of underreported crises and the people living through them. Through long-form YouTube videos, reporting guides and media analysis, Counterpart takes a decolonial approach to crisis reporting by partnering with local journalists and ordinary people whose voices are often left out of or misrepresented in mainstream media coverage. In deploying the principles of solutions journalism, movement journalism and co-creational media, Counterpart aims to challenge the journalism industry’s myth of objectivity and the harmful, long-held practices that often position Western journalists as superior to their counterparts in the Global South. Instead, Counterpart is focussed on highlighting the possible solutions to protracted crises, as outlined by those with direct lived experience and expertise.
Meet the trainer
Maxine Betteridge-Moes is the founder and editor of Counterpart. She recently completed the Solutions Journalism Network (SJN)’s Train the Trainers program to teach the practice of solutions journalism while adhering to rigorous ethical and editorial standards. She was previously part of SJN’s inaugural Bridging News Fellowship, where she developed skills in deep listening, constructive communication and solutions reporting. She is also currently enrolled in Prism’s Reflective Journalism Project to receive training in movement journalism that supports justice and liberation.
FAQ
What is the deadline to apply? Thursday 19 November 2026 at 5PM GMT. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis, but space is limited so please apply early.
Do I need to pay to sign up? No, the training is free.
Is the training in English? Yes. We may offer other languages in future.
What do I get for participating? All participants who complete the training will receive a certificate, slides and the recording to re-watch on demand. You will also get professional editorial guidance and feedback on your vertical video story idea from Counterpart founder and editor Maxine Betteridge-Moes.
Will my video be published by Counterpart? We hope to publish some of the work that comes out of this training on Counterpart’s social channels, specifically Instagram and YouTube Shorts. If you would like us to publish your vertical video, you retain ownership of your work and grant Counterpart a non-exclusive license to edit, publish, and distribute it, with credit. After the training, if you'd prefer that your submission not be published, that's also completely fine and won't affect your participation in the training.
Will I be paid to publish my video? As a new start-up, Counterpart is not currently in a position to pay for vertical video contributions. We are actively looking to raise funds to compensate all contributors in the future. Participants in Counterpart’s Solutions Lab are under no obligation to consent to having their videos published on Counterpart’s platforms upon completion of the training.