What if news reporting on gun violence could be part of the solution?

This 25-minute documentary shows the effects of episodic gun violence reporting on survivors and co-victims. The documentary offers solutions on how we can do better to shift the narrative to a public health focus and give power back to the community to advocate for their safety.

Following the screening will be a panel discussion featuring members the cast and crew including:

  • Oronde McClain, Credible Messenger Newsroom Liaison, Philadelphia Center for Gun Violence Reporting
  • Yvonne Latty, Director, Logan Center for Urban Investigative Reporting at Temple University
  • Dr. Jessica Beard, Director of Research, Philadelphia Center for Gun Violence Reporting

Moderator:

  • Jim MacMillan, Director, Philadelphia Center for Gun Violence Reporting / Assistant Director, Logan Center for Urban Investigative Reporting at Temple University

For more information, watch the trailer here! If you have any questions, please send us a message.


The Second Trauma tour goes to Tufts University

Above: Prof. Yvonne Latty, director of the Logan Center for Urban Investigative Reporting at Temple University, listens as PCGVR newsroom liaison and gun violence survivor Oronde McClain speaks during our visit to Tufts University last week.

We screened our new collaborative documentary The Second Trauma and then spoke with students at Tufts University last, thanks to our hosts at the Institute for Storycraft and Information Gathering.

We premiered the film in January at the Crime Coverage Summit in Philadelphia, followed by visits to NBC4 in Washington and American University. Next stops include Morgan State, Montclair State and NYU. Scroll down to watch the trailer and learn how to request a screening.

The Second Trauma tour is underway. Request a screening now.

We are on the road now, visiting colleges, universities, journalism conferences, newsrooms and other organizations. To request an exclusive screening and expert panel discussion, visit: thesecondtrauma.net

The Second Trauma is a short documentary produced in collaboration between the Logan Center for Urban Investigative Reporting at Temple University and the Philadelphia Center for Gun Violence Reporting. This 25-minute film led by PCGVR newsroom liaison and gun violence survivor Oronde McClain takes us to people who we need to listen to, Philadelphians who have been impacted by the record setting violence that plagues our city. Through tears and lived experience they give a road map on how the media, journalism students and those who consume news, can do better.

Master class on gun violence prevention reporting

02.09.24: PCGVR research director Dr. Jessica Beard joined this National Press Club webinar with Jennifer Mascia from The Trace and Abené Clayton of The Guardian, moderated by Kaitlin Washburn of the Association of Health Care Journalists and the Chicago Sun-Times: Covering Firearm Violence — How journalists can reframe their reporting.

Steeped in journalism, lived experience and academic research

01.10.24: The core team behind The Second Trauma, our new collaborative short documentary, was invited to speak in Philadelphia at the Crime Coverage Summit organized by the Radio Television Digital News Association and National Press Foundation, with support from Arnold Ventures. Scroll down to watch trailer from The Second Trauma and learn about screening opportunities.

Certification workshop feedback, outcomes and next steps

02.16.24: PCGVR director Jim MacMillan and Alaina Bookman of AL.com discussed our recent Gun Violence Prevention Reporter Certification Workshop in this webinar hosted by the Association of Health Care Journalists.

PCGVR director of research leading new NIH grant

A new two-year, $450,000 grant from the National Institutes of Health builds on previous research from PCGVR research director Dr. Jessica Beard, pictured at top, right above during a meeting of our research collaborative in 2022. She will be joined in the study by Prof. Jennifer Midberry at Lehigh University, seated at left above and Prof. Christopher N. Morrison at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. READ MORE

PCGVR programs

We had a breakout year in 2023, leveraging new and renewed funding to expand our staff, convene more events, provide support to more than 80 community experts and professional journalists, collaborate with more than 30 organizations, publish our first study and share findings from more. YEAR IN REVIEW

The Philadelphia Center for Gun Violence Reporting was launched to explore the hypotheses that changing the way some journalists and news organizations cover gun violence can prevent shootings and save lives. Since then, our research collaborative has refined this focus by identifying harmful reporting practices, asking what best practices would look like and how they could be implemented. Now, we have organized our work into three closely-aligned programs:

Credible Messenger Reporting Project

Our community reporting project empowers people impacted by gun violence to report on root causes, lived experience and possible solutions from the community perspective. Credible Messengers are paired with advanced professional journalists to learn from each other and leverage their combined authority to produce and distribute independent news reports. READ MORE

Interdisciplinary research colllaborative

We facilitate an interdisciplinary research collaborative that is exploring the intersection of gun violence, impacted communities and the media. Our Director or Research Dr. Jessica Beard presented our work last spring at the SAVIR conference in Washington. Dr. Jennifer Midberry presented at ICA in Paris. READ MORE

Better Gun Violence Reporting

What does the most ethical, impactful and empathetic reporting look like when covering community gun violence? We collaborate with journalists, community representatives and other experts to advance reporting practices. READ MORE


We are proud of our progress and excited to contribute significantly to addressing Philadelphia’s gun violence crisis while shaping journalism practices along the way. But we need your help.

Weekly Brief: 03.14.24

Each week we share news from our Center plus local updates on gun violence and prevention from our partners at Billy Penn.


This week: Get your tickets now for the Philadelphia premiere of The Second Trauma. Request a stop on the film tour.

Read More

Weekly shooting victim update

Twenty-three shooting victims were recorded from March 10 through March 16 in Philadelphia, including three fatalities, according to city data. During the previous week: 26 shooting victims were recorded, including six fatalities.

New project: The Survivor Connection

When our latest project launches, Philadelphia journalists will have free and swift mobile access to community-based expert sources including gun violence survivors, co-victims and other impacted individuals.

People with lived experience will have access to paid training in trauma and media literacy and may opt in and out of participating in the expert source program at will.

The Survivor Connection project is led by PCGVR Newsroom Liaison and survivor Oronde McClain, pictured above, thanks to support from his Stoneleigh Foundation Emerging Leader Fellowship. LEARN MORE | CONTACT US

Directory

• About the Center
• Who We Are
• Community Reporting
• Interdisciplinary Research
• Professional Development
• Media Mentions
• Free Weekly Brief

Funders
• The Stoneleigh Foundation
• Independence Public Media Foundation
• Spring Point Partners
The William Penn Foundation
• HFGF
• Knight-Lenfest Local News Transformation Fund
• The Lenfest Institute for Journalism
• The Alfred and Mary Douty Foundation
• Reynolds Journalism Institute at the University of Missouri
• Philadelphia Office of Violence Prevention
• The Barra Foundation Directors Grant Program

In-kind contributors
• WHYY
• Philadelphia Association of Black Journalists
• Reynolds Journalism Institute at the University of Missouri
• Mothers in Charge
• AH Datalytics
• Action Tank
• The Scattergood Foundation
• Resolve Philly
• Fels Lab at the University of Pennsylvania

Community Partners
• Mothers in Charge
• YEAH Philly
• Zero Homicides Now
• Need in Deed

Media Partners
• WHYY & Billy Penn
• The Trace & Up the Block
• Philadelphia Association of Black Journalists
• 5 Shorts Project
• Kouvenda Media
• Seeking Solutions: Gun Violence in Missouri
• Philadelphia Obituary Project
• Resolve Philly
• WURD Radio
• Columbia Journalism Review
• The Student Vanguard at Community College of Philadelphia
• Revive Radio

Summit partner institutions
• Reynolds Journalism Institute, University of Missouri
• Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma as Columbia University
• WHYY
• The Lenfest Institute for Journalism
• The Trace
• The Guardian: Guns and Lies
• Coalition of Trauma Centers for Firearm Injury Prevention
• Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions
• Guns & America, WAMU
• Mothers in Charge

Mailing address

The Philadelphia Center for Gun Violence Reporting
c/o CultureTrust Greater Philadelphia
1315 Walnut Street, Suite 320
Philadelphia, PA 19107

Need help in Philadelphia?

Lifelines

If you or someone you know is suicidal, in crisis, or in need of general mental health support, please know help is available. You can contact your physician, local hospital emergency room, or any of the hotlines, text lines, web chats, and support groups listed below. Most are free and confidential resources. Many are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. 

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 988
Crisis Text Line: 741741
• Lifeline Chat web chat service
Samaritans’ Helpline: (877) 870-4673 (available in 240+ languages)

Journalists: Take this online course on Responsible Reporting on Suicide. (You can audit for free or pay to get certified.)


Most of the photographs on this site: by Kriston Jae Bethel for PCGVR.

Organization

The Philadelphia Center Gun Violence Reporting is the primary project of The Initiative for Better Gun Violence Reporting. The Initiative is co-managed with fiscal sponsorship by CultureTrust Greater Philadelphia and is a member of CultureWorks Greater Philadelphia.

Newsletter

Each Wednesday morning we share news, research, data, opinions and community responses related to gun violence and prevention in Philadelphia. You can subscribe for free.

Licensing

Except where otherwise noted, this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Some embedded content, web site design logos and photographs may not be covered.