Gun violence has become an inescapable part of the American narrative. Our mission is to interrupt that narrative.
How? By dispelling myths, elevating facts, and amplifying the voices of lived-experience gun violence experts that have, for far too long, been silenced, ignored, diminished, and undervalued.
Mission: The Philadelphia Center for Gun Violence Reporting creates direct and genuine connections among gun violence prevention scholars, journalists, and impacted communities to mitigate harmful media narratives and advance empathetic, ethical, and impactful gun violence reporting.
Vision: By curating connections, cultivating trust, and conducting collaborative research, PCGVR will inform journalistic practices and influence the programs and policies that will ultimately lead to a more nuanced, public health-focused approach and fewer people harmed by gun violence.
Through vigorous, peer-reviewed research, we are forging a new path for gun violence reporting that prevents harm, promotes healing, and re-writes the narrative of gun violence in America.
Gun violence is not inevitable. It is preventable. The time has come to tell this story.
How we got here.
Our work is informed by a vast array of life experiences — some sad, some maddening, some hopeful, some inspiring. These experiences stretch across decades and demographics. But we’ll start this story in the mid-2010s.
Our founder, Jim MacMillan, had retired from a storied career as a photojournalist in Philadelphia. The career had peaked with a Pulitzer, but that Pulitzer had come with some scars, left behind by the wounds inflicted by his coverage of the Iraq war. As Jim became interested in the intersection of journalism and trauma, he began to wonder: Journalists bear witness so much violence — was there a way for journalists to prevent that violence? In 2019, he was awarded a fellowship at the Reynolds Journalism Institute at the University of Missouri to explore and improve gun violence reporting in America.
Meanwhile, at a hospital across town, Dr. Jessica Beard was having similar thoughts. The trauma surgeon and public health researcher had become frustrated by inaccurate, incomplete and unhelpful news reports about her firearm-injured patients. A mutual friend had been listening to them both, and suggested an introduction. The rest, as they say, is history.
Meet some of our team members. Explore more of our journey with our interactive Impact Report.
Quick facts.
Since our inception, we’ve:
• supported more than 300 community journalists, professional reporting partners, event speakers, workshop and brainstorming session participants, interns, consultants and contractors who have each played an important role in our organizational development, outreach and impact.
• sat on panels and presented in front of multidisciplinary audiences across America.
• visited newsrooms and journalism schools across America.
• collaborated on several peer-reviewed studies that are informing and advancing conversations around gun violence reporting. (Check out some of our research.)
• created and distributed hundreds of copies of our gun violence reporting Toolkit.
• trained hundreds of journalists in better gun violence reporting practices
• trained dozens of lived-experience experts in media literacy and public health solutions to gun violence
This is just a snapshot, of course. Explore more of our website and our Impact Report for more.
Above: Journalists, community partners and other experts gather for our first Gun Violence Prevention Reporter Certification Workshop in 2023. Photograph by Kriston Jae Bethal for PCGVR.