HOW WE MADE A DIFFERENCE IN 2025
PCGVR and our new AGVR team partnered with related organizations on dozens of events during 2025. Photographs by Kriston Jae Bethel and Erin Blewett. Headshots courtesy of our national conference faculty members.
The Philadelphia Center for Gun Violence Reporting once again strengthened its role as the national leader for journalists covering gun violence during the past year, helping advance conversations around more empathetic, ethical, and impactful news coverage. PCGVR expanded its staff and services, developed new reporting tools and survivor-centered resources, published original research, and deepened partnerships with journalists across the country. PCGVR also launched a new national Association of Gun Violence Reporters, or AGVR. The 2025 Year-in-Review documents this work month by month, highlighting key developments, collaborations, and initiatives that shaped our impact:
UPDATES AND MULTIMEDIA
CONFERENCE
Nearly 120 journalists, researchers, prevention professionals and experts from the survivor community came to Philadelphia for our national conference.
EXPLOREFELLOWSHIP
We are honored and excited to report that PCGVR Director of Operations Eric Marsh, Sr., has been named among the 2026 Sulzberger Fellows at the Columbia Journalism School.
READWEBINAR
Pa. Lt. Gov. Austin Davis joined the PCGVR team to discuss best practices for journalists covering gun violence to advance more empathetic, ethical and impactful reporting.
WATCHSTORE
We opened an online store and now you can buy a gift or get something for yourself and support our work at the same time
SHOPWORTH WATCHING
Association of Gun Violence Reporters and Black Alder Labs, host this discussion: Covering Underserved Communities with Care and Accuracy.
WATCHWORTH READING
Our friends at WHYY’s Billy Penn took part in our recent national conference and followed up with this two-part deep dive into our activities, people and impact.
READWORTH WATCHING
We asked some of our staffers, key stakeholders and favorite people to talk about our impact as our five-year anniversary was approaching: We are PCGVR.
WATCHWORTH WATCHING
Survivor Dashawn Walker tells his own story in “Unheard,” a short film co-produced with filmmaker Jessica Griffin for our Credible Messenger Reporting Project
WATCHACTIONABLE INFO
LATEST RESEARCH
Our center facilitates a multidisciplinary research collaborative which informs our work and has published four studies to date on gun violence, prevention and the role of the media.
MORE INFOREPORTING TOOLKIT
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.
MORE INFOCENTERING SURVIVORS
Gun violence is preventable. Journalists can make a difference. The Survivor Connection is a new service intended to help those reporting on gun violence take a more informed approach.
MORE INFOBUILDING A MOVEMENT: IMPACT.PCGVR.ORG
PCGVR PROJECT SITES
GUN VIOLENCE REPORTERS
AGVR helps reporters tell more nuanced, solutions-forward stories about gun violence in hopes of minimizing harm to survivors while advancing public health-informed, trauma-aware and community-centered journalism.
MORE INFOSURVIVOR CONNECTION
Philadelphia journalists are invited to access this directory of local community experts, who have each taken part in our introductory workshop on trauma, media literacy and public health responses to gun violence.
MORE INFOTHE SECOND TRAUMA
This 25-minute documentary shows the effects of episodic gun violence reporting on survivors and co-victims and offers solutions on how we can do better to shift the narrative to a public health focus and give power back to the community.
MORE INFOGET YOURSELF SOMETHING NICE. AND SUPPORT OUR WORK.
WE OPENED A SHOP
We inform journalistic practices to prevent harm and illuminate programs and policies that prevent gun violence. But we need your help.