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Tina Rosenberg    

Pulitzer Prize Winner, Co-Founder of Solutions Journalism Network, Investigative Journalist

According to Tina Rosenberg, the application of peer pressure can be transformative. As a journalist with over three decades of experience, she has dedicated her career to covering significant global issues. In 2013, she co-founded the Solutions Journalism Network, emphasizing the role of journalism in highlighting not only societal problems but also the responses to these issues. Her well-regarded New York Times column, "Fixes," which she began writing in 2010, delves into solutions to major social challenges such as the healthcare crisis and poverty. Rosenberg explores various strategies employed by communities and organizations worldwide. Her investigative work on the effectiveness of charities further underscores her commitment to impactful journalism. Rosenberg is a recipient of the Pulitzer Prize for General Non-Fiction and the National Book Award.

Rosenberg's insights stem from a deep understanding of global political and social dynamics, shaped by her extensive reporting from various regions. Her books, "Children of Cain: Violence and the Violent in Latin America" and "The Haunted Land: Facing Europe's Ghosts After Communism," explore the intricate issues of democracy and historical accountability. Rosenberg’s global perspective enriches her presentations, making her a compelling speaker who engages audiences on profound topics.

Through her advocacy for solutions journalism, Rosenberg aims to inspire a shift in journalistic practices to foster social change. Her eloquent delivery and engaging storytelling reflect her belief that social justice can be achieved by redefining the concept of peer pressure. Her speeches inspire audiences to reconsider their views on peer pressure and encourage them to contribute positively to societal improvements. Rosenberg's message is particularly resonant in today's media landscape, offering a hopeful perspective amid prevalent negative narratives.

Speech Topics

Beyond Overhead: A New Way to Measure Effective Giving

Individual charitable donors look at overhead because overhead is something we can measure. But anyone who works in philanthropy knows that percentage spent on overhead is a misleading - and at times actively harmful - test. A new movement seeks to measure the effectiveness of charity in different ways. Organizations in Britain and the US are ranking charities by how much it costs them to reach their goal: What do they spend to provide someone with a year of health? A year of education? A year without hunger? These attempts to put numbers on charitable effectiveness are still new - and extremely controversial. Tina Rosenberg draws on reporting from her New York Times "Fixes" column to examine this new trend - and what it means for you, and how you can use this research to make your philanthropic dollars go much farther.

The Power of the Group to Help Our Children Learn

In one four-year period, the University of California at Berkeley had 29 black students who got an A or B in calculus. 29! Over the next four years, there were 125. How did Berkeley so dramatically raise calculus achievement for minority students? By using positive peer pressure. Berkeley founded a program in which minority students work in small groups on extra-hard math problems, teaching each other. Today, that program has spread to universities around the country and has greatly increased the number and achievements of minorities in calculus - and therefore the number successful in hard-science majors. Tina Rosenberg draws on academic research and her own reporting for her recent book, Join the Club: How Peer Pressure Can Transform the World, and her New York Times "Fixes" column to provide fresh ideas about how positive peer pressure can help all students to learn.

Transforming America's Health & American Healthcare - with Peer Pressure

Chronic disease is robbing us of our health and costing us billions of dollars. But successfully managing chronic conditions requires behavior change. This isn't a job for doctors - it’s a job for positive peer pressure. Giving people information - especially scary information - doesn't work. People need a reason to act on information, and the most powerful motivator is identification with a new peer group. Tina Rosenberg draws on academic research and stories from her own reporting to show why our usual health strategies are not only wrong, they're making things worse. She provides fresh ideas about how to design and deliver effective behavior change.

Harnessing Peer Pressure for Behavior Change

Conventional efforts to promote healthier or greener living, more civic involvement, and stronger communities rely on giving people information - or warning them of the consequences of behavior as usual. These tactics usually fail. It is very human to be quite aware of the consequences of our behavior yet not apply that information to ourselves. How do we make that step to real behavior change? Through identifying with our peers. Peers are the messenger, but they're also the message; if you want people to recycle more, for example, research shows the most effective thing to say is "your neighbors are recycling." Tina Rosenberg draws on academic research and stories from her own reporting for her book and her New York Times "Fixes" column for a fresh, surprising, and inspirational talk that will transform the way you think about behavior change.

Changing Journalism to Change the World

Each day in the news, we see stories about how society is failing. Now imagine if alongside those stories you saw solutions journalism -- stories about how people are combating these failures. So while some public schools are failing the poor, there are many schools across the U.S. that are giving underprivileged youth a great education. How they do it is a story journalists should be telling, covering the solutions as well as the problems -- without fluff, advocacy or public relations. Tina Rosenberg knows that in order to change, society first has to find out what works. These stories are what readers want -- and what society needs.

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