Weekly Brief: 11.21.24
Each week we share news from our Center plus local updates on gun violence and prevention from our partners at Billy Penn. This week: RJI checks out the Survivor Connection. Photos from Klein Camp. More headlines. Read More
Survivor Connection team in the spotlight
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.
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]
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.
No breaking news here
While we track every shooting in Philadelphia, care deeply and empathize with everyone affected, and work hard to prevent future gun violence, we do not report on individual incidents. Here’s why:
Mass shootings and large new outbreaks of gun violence are often met with an onslaught of rampant misreporting while even accurate news coverage can create multiple harms.
If you must report on individual incidents, please consider the guidance presented in our Better Gun Violence Reporting Toolkit, watch our documentary on the harmful effects of some kinds of news coverage and learn how to care for yourself and others in order to minimize harm.
