Building Community Resiliency Through Storytelling and Media Narratives: Hundreds attend CDC webinar featuring PCGVR team

Above: PCGVR director of research Dr. Jessica Beard and newsroom liaison Oronde McClain appear during the webinar.

Thank you to CDC’s Division of Violence Prevention, moderator Dr. Allison Arwady, director of the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, co-panelist Justin Reid, director of storytelling at Cities United, and to the nearly 400 people who attended this week’s 90-minute webinar: Building Community Resiliency Through Storytelling and Media Narratives.

PCGVR director of research Dr. Jessica Beard’s talk included an introduction to our new research: Defining harmful news reporting on community firearm violence: A modified Delphi consensus study. PCGVR newsroom liaison Oronde McClain introduced our upcoming project that he will be directing: the Survivor Connection.

We are grateful for the opportunity to participate and have been delighted to find that dozens of people had subscribed to this newsletter and downloaded our free Better Gun Violence Reporting Toolkit by the end of the session.

As requested by many in during the event, we have made both presentation decks available from our team:

During this event, our partners at the CDC shared their resource: Community Violence Prevention – RESOURCE FOR ACTION – A Compilation of the Best Available Evidence for Youth and Young Adults


Turning toward more national activities and impact

Check out our 2024 Year in Review for a recap of our activities, a list of of organizations who partnered with us, links to our media coverage last year and more.

And subscribe to our free Weekly Brief email newsletter to keep update with important new announcements beginning this month.

New research from PCGVR collaborative identifies and rates harmful gun violence reporting in the news

Above: Researchers participating in our collaborative gathered for a meeting at Temple University Hospital in Philadelphia. Photo by Kriston Jae Bethel for PCGVR.

PCGVR director of research Dr. Jessica Beard is the corresponding author on a new study: Defining harmful news reporting on community firearm violence: A modified Delphi consensus study.

The study included 21 experts — from the gun violence survivor community, journalism practice, and scholarship —  who participated in a three-round anonymous survey; an iterative process through which they identified 12 specific harmful elements found in news reports, and then rated those harms across individual, community and society levels.

They determined that news stories including graphic content, episodic framing of individual incidents with little or no context, and those which do not explore solutions have the potential to cause severe harm at all three levels. The panelists also found that harmful elements were most detrimental to people who had survived gunshot injuries. MORE FINDINGS | READ THE STUDY | OUR PREVIOUS RESEARCH | CONTACT THE TEAM

Watch now: New, national Association of Gun Violence Reporters kicks off

Clockwise above from top, left: Moderator Laura Bennet, director of The Center for Just Journalism, and AGVR founding staffers: Jennifer Mascia from The Trace and CNN, independent journalist Alain Stephens, Sammy Caiola from the Kensington Voice and Abené Clayton from The Guardian.

Leaders of the new Association of Gun Violence Reporters kicked off activities with a webinar Friday. The organization was launched with support from PCGVR. WATCH NOW.

Introducing the Survivor Connection at news innovation conference

Above: The team behind our Survivor Connection project — Oronde McClain, Caroline Suárez and John Paul Titlow — introduced the new project web site Saturday at Klein Camp, Philadelphia’s annual one-day conference on the future of news at Temple University here in Philadelphia. Photographs by Kriston Jae Bethel.

The Survivor Connection is a new tool that will help reporters put the survivor at the center of their coverage. The public launch will take place early in the new year.

Sammy Caiola, who also leads our new Association of Gun Violence Reporters, wrote about the Survivor Connection for the Reynolds Journalism Institute: Survivor Connection links reporters with gun violence survivor community

Community Voices of Healing, Reflection and Hope

Community Voices of Healing, Reflection and Hope is a new podcast 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. LISTEN & SHARE

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

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.

Tips for shifting gun violence reporting toward a public health lens

Our director of research Dr. Jessica Beard joined three of our favorite reporting partners for a discussion on how to shift story framing to one that emphasizes solutions, prevention methods, and data. This is a master class.

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.

Get to know the public health approach

Some of the data is this video is now out of date but this is still a great primer on public health strategies to prevent gun violence, including interviews with our research director Dr. Jessica Beard and a couple of our favorite partners.

Voices from Philadelphia journalism and survivor communities

We were honored with the opportunity to co-produce and participate in this invigorating and informative conversation on advancing community-centered and solutions-oriented reporting on gun violence in Philadelphia and other U.S. cities in 2022.


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

The Weekly Brief: 09.16.25

Each week we share updates from our Center, Philadelphia gun violence prevention news from our partners at Billy Penn and headlines from across the U.S. This week: This week: PCGVR team joins local and national webinars. Philadelphia homicides up slightly to end 2024. Harmful impact of persistent news coverage for adolescents. Read More

Recent activities

Top to bottom: Resolve Philly director of collaborations Eugene Sonn invited PCGVR newsroom liaison Oronde McClain and project manager Caroline Suárez to lead a hybrid preview our new Survivor Connection project for members of the Philadelphia Journalism Collaborative. PCGVR director Jim MacMillan was invited to participate on a panel during the Law and Justice Journalism Project‘s convening for new fellows in New Orleans. PCGVR newsroom liaison Oronde McClain and director of research Dr. Jessica Beard met during the National Research Conference for the Prevention of Firearm Related Harms, where Dr. Beard advised several presentations.

Meet us on Bluesky

We now concentrate our social media efforts entirely on Bluesky. JOIN US

Weekly shooting victim update

Six shooting victims were recorded from January 5 through January 11 in Philadelphia, including two fatalities, according to city data. During the previous week: 17 shooting victims were recorded, including four fatalities.

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.

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

Research at PCGVR

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

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

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.