Watch now: New PBS NewsHour documentary checks in with PCGVR research director

Run, Hide, Fight: Growing up under the gun,” is a new documentary produced by PBS News Student Reporting Labs and featuring stories produced by 14 young journalists from around the country, including an interview with PCGVR director or research Dr. Jessica Beard. WATCH THE FULL DOCUMENTARY | JUMP TO DR. BEARD’S INTERVIEW

Behind the scenes: The student producer who interviewed Dr. Beard shared some kind and encouraging words in a new op-ed published in Teen Vogue:

“After the interview, I felt seen and heard, and it was amazing talking to a researcher who studies a topic that’s so close to home for me. And I left feeling more hopeful for the future of gun violence prevention.” — Ethan Rodriguez

Coming soon: Community Voices of Healing, Reflection, and Hope

Community Voices of Healing, Reflection and Hope is a new podcast coming soon from the Credible Messenger Reporting Project at the Philadelphia Center for Gun Violence Reporting (PCGVR). Host and executive producer Maxayn Gooden is the Credible Messenger Community Manager at PCGVR. She interviews and facilitates conversations among other members of the survivor community in Philadelphia, taking the time to share their experiences in a safe place and in extraordinary depth. The Credible Messenger Reporting Project was created to report on root causes, lived experience and possible solutions to gun violence from the community perspective. LISTEN AND SHARE: AUDIO TRAILER / VIDEO TRAILER

Visiting the Missouri School of Journalism

Clockwise from top-left, above: PCGVR research director Dr. Jessica Beard and newsroom liaison Oronde McClain, Temple University Journalism Prof. Yvonne Latty, who also directs the Logan Center for Urban Investigative Reporting at Temple, and PCGVR founder and director Jim MacMillan. (Missouri School of Journalism photos)

Several members of our team were honored with the opportunity to visit the University of Missouri School of Journalism last week. We screened our collaborative documentary The Second Trauma in five classes and then during a public evening event hosted by the Missouri student chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. We handed out more than 100 copies of our Better Gun Violence Reporting Toolkit and engaged in conversations with nearly 150 students and more than a dozen faculty members and deans.

Read more: Documentary seeks to heal rift between public and news industry with trauma-informed approach to gun violence.

Be the change: Apply now to become PCGVR’s first Director of Operations

Above: PCGVR 2024 activities have included conference talks, research meetings, newsroom and classroom visits, media appearances, releasing our new reporting toolkit and our collaborative documentary premiere and tour.

Do you like to grapple with big issues? Are you interested in solving problems? Are you committed to making Philadelphia a safer and healthier place for all? Do you operate with kindness, empathy, and integrity? If this sounds like you, perhaps you should consider becoming the first-ever Director of Operations at the Philadelphia Center for Gun Violence Reporting (PCGVR).

PCGVR brings together public health scholars, impacted community members, and media professionals to advance empathetic, ethical, and impactful journalism. In its early years, the organization has already contributed to shifting the frame of gun violence reporting from one of crime to one of public health and prevention. Having already influenced the field at high levels – including the Surgeon General and the AP Stylebook – PCGVR seeks to change the way we talk about community firearm violence through both research and the development of new journalistic resources, both technological and educational.

PCGVR seeks a Director of Operations to lead targeted efforts in strategy, finance, communications, and resource development. This entrepreneurial leader will be deeply committed to mitigating harm for those impacted by gun violence and will work with the organization’s founder to develop and disseminate new approaches and practices in gun violence prevention journalism. Additionally, the Director of Operations will work collaboratively with the founder to create an organization that is strong, stable, and sustainable.

You can view the complete job description here. Interested candidates should submit a cover letter and a resume to jobs@pcgvr.org.

On gun violence prevention reporting

PCGVR director of research Dr. Jessica Beard introduced our new Better Gun Violence Reporting Toolkit at Health Journalism 2024 in New York recently, while participating on a panel titled “In your lane: Covering America’s biggest public health crisis.”

From left:Dr. Beard, Dr. Ruth Abaya of The Health Alliance for Violence Intervention and Jennifer Mascia of The Trace

• More info and photos: PCGVR research director presents at Health Journalism 2024
• Panel recap: Why gun violence is a public health emergency
• Related:  Covering Firearm Violence — How journalists can reframe their reporting

PCGVR founders discuss gun violence reporting

PCGVR director Jim MacMillan and research director Dr. Jessica Beard discuss gun violence, prevention and the role of the media on The Trauma Beat podcast with journalist, trauma researcher and author Tamara Cherry, which explores how the news media covers traumatic events, the impact this coverage has on survivors and journalists, and how we all might be able to tell (and consume) these very important stories, better. Based on Tamara’s book, The Trauma Beat: A Case for Re-Thinking the Business of Bad News. Listen: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube

Hundreds attend Philadelphia premiere of The Second Trauma documentary

PCGVR newsroom liaison Oronde McClain takes a question from host Loraine Ballard Morrill. Photograph for PCGVR by Kriston Jae Bethel.

Hundreds of people joined us at the Temple Performing Arts Center on April 17 for the Philadelphia premiere of The Second Trauma, our documentary addressing the harmful effects of episodic gun violence news reporting and possible solutions, produced in collaboration with the Logan Center for Urban Investigative Reporting at Temple University.

To learn more, see photos, listen to the panel discussions and request a screening: Hundreds attend Philadelphia premiere of The Second Trauma documentary  

Two new studies led by PCGVR research director examine local TV news coverage of gun violence

Above: Researchers participating in the interdisciplinary collaborative led by Dr. Jessica Beard met recently at Temple University Hospital to discuss future studies. from left are: Dr. Christopher Morrison, Assistant Professor at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health; Raha Raissian, Medical student at Temple University Lewis Katz School of Medicine; Siena Wanders, Medical student at Temple University Lewis Katz School of Medicine; Dr. Beard, Dr. Anita Wamakima, Temple General Surgery resident; Dr. Jennifer Midberry, Associate Professor at Temple University Klein College; Dr. Evan Eschliman, Post-doctoral research fellow at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health; and Tyrone Muns, Temple nurse and research assistant. Photographs for PCGVR by Kriston Jae Bethel.

Two new studies led by PCGVR Director of Research Dr. Jessica Beard have been published:

Systematic disparities in reporting on community firearm violence on local television news in Philadelphia, PA, USA [Preventive Medicine Reports]

Public health framing of firearm violence on local television news in Philadelphia, PA, USA: a quantitative content analysis [BMC Public Health]

“News stories may be the only window into community firearm violence that the general public has, and they often are not getting a complete picture, but instead one that research has indicated can lead audiences to blame victims, reinforce racist stereotypes and undermine effective public health responses.” – PCGVR Director of Research Dr. Jessica Beard.

Press release and contact info: Two New Studies Led by Lewis Katz School of Medicine’s Dr. Jessica Beard More Closely Examine How Reports of Community Firearm Violence Are Framed on Local Television News in Philadelphia [Temple Health News]

No breaking news here

Mass shootings and large new outbreaks of gun violence are often met with an onslaught of rampant misreporting while even accurate coverage can create multiple harms. If you must report on individual incidents, please consider the guidance presented in our Better Gun Violence Reporting Toolkit and learn how to care for yourself and others in order to minimize harm.

Watch the trailer: The Second Trauma

The Second Trauma documentary tour is underway. We are visiting colleges and universities, journalism conferences, newsrooms and other organizations. To request an exclusive screening and expert panel discussion, visit: thesecondtrauma.net

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.


We are here to dispel myths, elevate facts, provide hope, build resilience and amplify the voices of victims and survivors of gun violence who, for far too long, have been silenced, ignored, diminished and undervalued. But we need your help.

The Weekly Brief: 10.10.24

Each week we share news from our Center plus local updates on gun violence and prevention from our partners at Billy Penn. This week: New PBS documentary checks in with PCGVR research director Dr. Jessica Beard. Register now at attend a panel next week with PCGVR community engagement manager Maxayn Gooden. Read More

Years of work in one concise guide, available for free

News coverage of gun violence often inadvertently perpetuates stereotypical narratives about the people and communities most impacted. Typical coverage focuses on individual episodes of gun violence and often lacks an explanation of what causes it and what could be done to prevent it. These reporting practices can further stigmatize marginalized communities and promote fatalism around gun violence prevention. By changing the way gun violence is covered, reporters can take an active role in minimizing harm to injured people, communities, and society—and even make an important contribution toward preventing gun violence.

The need for this toolkit was identified by participants during PCGVR’s 2022 Better Gun Violence Reporting Workshop, which was produced in partnership with The Better Lab, a human-centered design venture working to study and fix health care challenges. Twenty-six journalists representing every major Philadelphia news organization, 10 gun violence prevention advocates from impacted communities, nine staffers from PCGVR, and 25 participants from partnering organizations attended. This report was produced collaboratively with the FrameWorks Institute, which conducted the research.

 

Please enter your email address to view the mobile version, download the printable pdf or request printed copies now

Get to know the Association of Gun Violence Reporters

There’s a new networking organization that hopes to connect those who cover gun violence, public health, criminal justice, trauma and other topics for camaraderie and skill sharing. MORE INFO AND CONTACT FORM

Weekly shooting victim update

Nineteen shooting victims were recorded from September 29 through October 5 in Philadelphia, including two fatalities, according to city data. During the previous week: 22 shooting victims were recorded, including two fatalities.

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

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
• Logan Center for Urban Investigative Reporting
• 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

Video: Curbing Gun Violence With a Public Health Approach

Vitals from PBS explores potential solutions to reducing gun violence with several experts in Philadelphia including PCGVR research director Dr. Jessica Beard. WATCH NOW

Surgeon General’s Advisory

This Advisory describes the public health crisis of firearm violence in America and describes strategies for firearm injury and violence prevention, with a focus on the health and well-being of children, families, and communities.

Gun violence solutions

Research shows when enacted in combination, these five key policies and programmatic priorities have the potential to save countless lives.

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.)

Need help in Philadelphia?

Mailing address

The Philadelphia Center for Gun Violence Reporting
c/o CultureTrust Greater Philadelphia
1315 Walnut Street, Suite 300
Philadelphia, PA 19107


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

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