CONFERENCE AGENDA
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 2
8AM-5PM
8:00 a.m. Breakfast
9:00 a.m. Welcome, Goals and Program Overview
• Tamara Cherry, journalist, author of The Trauma Beat and founder of Pickup Communications
Tamara Cherry is an author, journalist, and founder of Pickup Communications, a boutique consultancy that supports trauma survivors and relevant stakeholders. She spent the bulk of her career as an award-winning crime reporter in some of Canada’s largest newsrooms, including the Toronto Star, Toronto Sun, and CTV News Toronto. Her latest book, The Trauma Beat: A Case for Re-Thinking the Business of Bad News, was described in a Quill & Quire starred review as “a stunning work that should be required reading for journalism students, news reporters, true crime junkies, and anyone who wants to write narratives that heal, instead of harm.” Part-memoir, part-journalism, The Trauma Beat draws on the experiences of more than 100 trauma survivors across the U.S. and Canada — from homicides to traffic fatalities, sexual violence to mass violence — while exploring all the ways Tamara got things wrong as a crime reporter when she thought her very good intentions were good enough. The Trauma Beat podcast, hosted by Tamara, expands on these critical conversations. Tamara advocates for a creates trauma-informed storytelling from her home in Saskatchewan, Canada.
9:05 a.m. Preparing Yourself and Finding Support During the Conference
• Yolanda Hughes and Kamela Johnson, Network of Neighbors Trauma Response Team
Yolanda Hughes (MSW, MSH) and Kamela Johnson (LSW) run the Network of Neighbors Trauma Response Network: a free, community-directed trauma response network for Philadelphia’s neighborhoods, schools, workplaces, city departments–or any group of people in Philadelphia with a common affiliation. Over the past eight years they have supported hundreds of communities and thousands of individuals impacted by overwhelmingly stressful or potentially traumatic experiences
9:15 a.m. Answering the Call for Better Gun Violence Reporting
• Abené Clayton, Reporter for the Guns and Lies in America project at The Guardian and co-director of the Association of Gun Violence Reporters
Abené Clayton has been covering gun violence for the past six years. In that time, she has built a relationship with PCGVR that has only proven to be more valuable as the years have passed. Right now, between the deployment of the National Guard troops in cities like Washington and New Orleans, and a seemingly endless stream of high profile shootings, Abené is proving that smart, nuanced reporting on the dynamics of gun violence is critical.
Abené Clayton is a reporter in the Guardian’s California office and is currently the lead reporter on the newspaper’s “Guns & Lies in America” series, which launched in 2019 and focuses on the impacts of and solutions to community violence. She started covering gun violence in her hometown of Richmond, California, and is now based in Los Angeles, where she covers the evolving dynamic of gun violence through the people closest to the issue.
9:25 a.m. Welcome to the Workshops
• Prof. Jennifer Midberry, Temple University Department of Journalism, partner in PCGVR multidisciplinary research collaborative and former photojournalist.
9:40 a.m. Workshop: What is the Value of Gun Violence Reporting?
• Multiple facilitators
Participants will discuss how typical news coverage of gun violence can be both beneficial and harmful to news audiences and to the people directly affected by the epidemic. This session will also be an opportunity for participants to share ideas about how to improve such reporting.
10:25 a.m. Coffee Break
10:40 a.m. What Now? Going Beyond Trauma-informed and Cultural Awareness to Trauma-responsive and Cultural Healing
• Keynote address: Dr. H. Jean Wright II, Executive Deputy Commissioner, New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.
Keynote speaker Dr. H. Jean Wright will focus on acknowledging the efforts by journalists, researchers, behavioral health professionals, and others who engage regularly with people from marginalized communities, and challenge attendees to add to those efforts by implementing lessons learned through their education and experiences in their respective fields of work. The take-home message is that to simply learn the language of trauma, recovery, or meaningful supports is only partially impactful if one does not continue to do the hard work of actually recognizing the value of listening to the people and community in which you find yourself engaged.
Dr. H. Jean Wright II, PsyD. MDiv, was appointed as New York City’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene’s Executive Deputy Commissioner of the Division of Mental Hygiene, which Oversees the Agency’s Work on Mental Health, Alcohol and Drug Use Prevention, Health Promotion for Justice-Impacted Populations, Care and Treatment and Children Youth and Families, Among Other Bureaus on August 23, 2024.
Wright is a clinical and forensic psychologist who brings two decades of transformational leadership experience in behavioral health in government, private practice, rehabilitation, and academia to his new role at the Health Department.
During his time in Philadelphia, Dr. Wright was the Deputy Commissioner for DBHIDS, and the Director for the Behavioral Health and Justice Division at DBHIDS where he helped develop and oversee programs and initiatives to support people returning from state psychiatric hospitalization, state penitentiary, and county jail. This work involved alliance-building across sectors, implementing trauma-focused practices to deliver behavioral health care to target populations, as well as trainings of service providers.
He is an Adjunct Professor at Temple University in the Department of Psychology and has served on a variety of boards, including The Mayor’s Task Force on Reintegration and The Philadelphia Board of Mental Health.
Dr. Wright earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology, English literature, and cultural studies from The Ohio State University, a master’s in divinity from the United Lutheran Seminary, and a doctorate in psychology with focus in clinical and forensic psychology from Wright State University. He continued with post-doctoral work at Wilberforce University and Cincinnati VA Medical Center.
11:10 The Second Trauma Screening
• This 25-minute documentary shows the effects of episodic gun violence reporting on survivors and co-victims. The documentary offers solutions on how we can do better to shift the narrative to a public health focus and give power back to the community to advocate for their safety.
11:40 The Second Trauma Panel Discussion
• Prof. Yvonne Latty, Director of the Logan Center for Urban Investigative Reporting at Temple University and producer and director of the film.
• Oronde McClain, PCGVR Survivor Connection director, Stoneleigh Foundation Emerging Leader Fellow, co-producer and host of film, and a gun violence survivor.
• Angela Wade and Armond James, who appear in the film.
Prof. Yvonne Latty is a professor at Temple University’s Klein College of Media and Communication and the Director of the Logan Center for Urban Investigative Reporting. The Center specializes in multimedia community-based investigative journalism grounded in empathy and focused on solutions. The center’s work has received dozens of local, regional and national awards, including three Edward R. Murrow Awards. Yvonne began her career in newspapers and is the author of two books highlighting veterans’ stories. She has also produced award-winning documentaries and podcasts. Prior to joining Temple, she was a journalism professor and multimedia graduate director at NYU’s Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute.
Oronde McClain is a Philadelphia-based gun violence survivor, mental health advocate, and nationally recognized speaker on trauma recovery and survivor empowerment. At the age of 10, McClain was shot in the head in a drive-by shooting. He was clinically dead for over two minutes, spent weeks in a coma, and had to relearn how to walk, talk, and live with partial paralysis and the lasting effects of PTSD. Today, McClain serves as the Survivor Connection Director at the Philadelphia Center for Gun Violence Reporting, where he leads Survivor Connection, a pioneering program training and linking survivors with journalists to reshape how media covers gun violence.
Armond James is a dynamic, award-winning educator, consultant, and instructional leader who has dedicated over a decade to reshaping the future of education. As the founder of Empyrean Teacher Club Consulting, Armond empowers educators to transform their classrooms, cultivate elite teaching practices, and drive measurable academic growth. Honored with the prestigious 2024 Lindback Distinguished Teaching Award and featured in the Philadelphia Inquirer, Armond’s leadership and expertise have elevated students, schools, and communities. His career is driven by a simple but powerful belief: students deserve teachers who inspire excellence, build confidence, and prepare them to win at life.
Angela Wade is a dedicated psychiatric registered nurse with over 25 years of experience, driven by a profound personal journey as a co-victim of gun violence. On December 7, 2019, she tragically lost her son, Joseph Emmanuel Daniels III, which inspired her to create JEDlll Inc., a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to supporting children aged 11-17 who are grappling with grief and loss. JEDlll Inc. focuses on mentorship, mental health and wellness, gun violence prevention, and offers basketball programs to empower youth in their healing process. I am in the process of writing a book that my son requested two weeks before he was murdered. This life altering process has been very difficult to navigate, but through prayer, great faith, and having a strong will have allowed me to turn pain into purpose.
12:15 p.m. Lunch
1:20 p.m. Trauma-Informed Journalism Practices
• Sammy Caiola, Special Projects Reporter at the Kensington Voice in Philadelphia, co-director of the Association of Gun Violence Reporters, former gun violence prevention reporter at WHYY public radio in Philadelphia and Ochberg Fellow, Global Center for Journalism and Trauma, formerly the Dart Center
It is necessary for journalists to engage with survivors and co-victims of gun violence carefully to avoid retraumatizing them. This presentation will offer practical strategies for interacting with subjects in a manner that prioritizes their wellbeing throughout the newsgathering and publishing processes.
Sammy Caiola is a Philadelphia-based journalist covering police accountability, sexual violence and mental health/substance use for Kensington Voice. She most recently served as the first gun violence prevention reporter for WHYY News, where she co-hosted a national Edward R. Murrow award-winning podcast about stop and frisk. She is passionate about bringing trauma-informed journalism and community engagement into newsrooms.
2:10 p.m. Framing Theory, Solutions Journalism, & Peace Journalism
• Prof. Jennifer Midberry, Temple University Department of Journalism, partner in PCGVR multidisciplinary research collaborative and former photojournalist.
Framing theory is one way to understand how differing news narratives can shape audience attitudes about social issues like gun violence. Solutions Journalism and Peace Journalism are two approaches that aim to report on difficult social issues more constructively. These three concepts inform PCGVR’s Gun Violence Prevention Reporting.
Dr. Jennifer Midberry is an associate professor in the Journalism Department of Temple University’s Klein College of Media and Communication. Her research program explores how to improve journalism to create more ethical reporting on marginalized groups and to more effectively evoke audience empathy and engagement with important social issues. As a former photojournalist and photo editor, her projects are intended to have practical insights for journalists in addition to advancing visual communication and journalism theory. Previous to academia, she worked as a visual journalist for organizations such as The Philadelphia Daily News, the Associated Press, AOL News, and ABC News.
3:00 p.m. Coffee break
3:15 p.m. Public Health Framing, Prevention, & Gun Violence Prevention Reporting
• Dr. Jessica Beard, PCGVR Director or Research, Stoneleigh Foundation Fellow and Temple University Hospital trauma surgeon.
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.
Dr. Jessica Beard is a trauma surgeon and public health researcher at Temple University Hospital, where cares for gun violence survivors every day. At Temple, she serves as the Interim Trauma Program Medical Director and Director of Trauma Research. Dr. Beard is also the Director of Research for The Philadelphia Center for Gun Violence Reporting and a Stoneleigh Foundation Fellow. She holds a BA from Columbia University, MD from Yale School of Medicine, and MPH from University of California-Berkeley. She completed general surgery residency at the University of California-San Francisco and surgical critical care fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania. Her novel research focuses on gun violence epidemiology, media framing of gun violence, and measuring harmful gun violence reporting. Through this work, she hopes to support journalists to tell stories of gun violence that are complex, humanistic, trauma-informed and focused on prevention. Her multidisciplinary research with PCGVR is currently funded by the National Institutes of Health.
4:15 p.m. Workshop: Reflecting on New Ideas
• Multiple facilitators
In the final activity of the day, participants will reflect on which ideas in the presentations they found most beneficial. Through small-group discussions, people will have the chance to exchange thoughts and to collectively evaluate PCGVR’s Gun Violence Prevention Reporting approach.
5:00 p.m. Reception
Sponsored by Knight Foundation
• Dr. Jessica Beard, PCGVR Director of Research
• Oronde McClain, PCGVR Survivor Connection Director
• Eric Marsh, PCGVR Director of Operations
• Jim MacMillan, PCGVR Founder and Director
• Sammy Caiola, AGVR co-director
• Abené Clayton, AGVR co-director
6:00 p.m. Evening on your own. Enjoy Philadelphia. Optional: AGVR Meetup to be announced
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 3 AT CONVENE CITY VIEW
30 SOUTH 17TH STREET, PHILADELPHIA
8AM-1PM
8:00 a.m. Breakfast
9:00 a.m. From Theory to Practice
• Cheryl Thompson-Morton, Head of Advisory Programs, Lenfest Institute for Journalism, adjunct faculty member at the Poynter Institute and formerly the Black Media Initiative Director at the Center for Community Media at the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY.
Implementing trauma-informed journalism and gun violence prevention reporting calls for the adoption of modified newsgathering and production methods. This session will present strategies and practical approaches for incorporating these theories into newsrooms.
Cheryl Thompson-Morton is the Head of Advisory Programs at the Lenfest Institute for Journalism, where she leads efforts to support news organizations in developing strategies for financial sustainability and audience growth. She is also an adjunct faculty member at the Poynter Institute, where she co-leads the Transforming Crime Coverage to Public Safety Journalism program. This change management course helps newsrooms rethink their approach to crime reporting and develop new policies to cover public safety in more effective and responsible ways.
Prior to her current role, Cheryl led the Black Media Initiative at the Center for Community Media at the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY, designing programs to support Black-owned newsrooms through research, training, and networking opportunities. She also previously worked at the Lenfest Institute for Journalism, where she developed initiatives to strengthen the news ecosystem and support journalists of color. In her free time, Cheryl and her husband run BellMax Electric, tackling business challenges together and keeping the lights on—literally and figuratively.
9:50 a.m. Workshop: Gun Violence Prevention Reporting Plan
• Multiple facilitators
This is your chance to get started with gun violence prevention reporting, whether you are a journalist or not. Participants will work in small groups to draft plans for covering a hypothetical shooting, incorporating the concepts and practical approaches presented throughout the conference.
10:45 a.m. Coffee Break
11:00 a.m. Panel: Association of Gun Violence Reporters
• Sammy Caiola, Special Projects Reporter at the Kensington Voice in Philadelphia, former gun violence prevention reporter at WHYY and fellow at the Global Center for Journalism and Trauma
• Abené Clayton, Reporter for the Guns and Lies in America project at The Guardian
• Jennifer Mascia, founding staff member and senior news writer at The Trace
• Paige Pfleger, Senior Criminal Justice Reporter at WPLN News, Nashville Public Radio
• Moderator: Eric Marsh, PCGVR Director of Operations
Abené Clayton is a reporter in the Guardian’s California office and is currently the lead reporter on the newspaper’s “Guns & Lies in America” series, which launched in 2019 and focuses on the impacts of and solutions to community violence. She started covering gun violence in her hometown of Richmond, California, and is now based in Los Angeles, where she covers the evolving dynamic of gun violence through the people closest to the issue.
Sammy Caiola is a Philadelphia-based journalist covering police accountability, sexual violence and mental health/substance use for Kensington Voice. She most recently served as the first gun violence prevention reporter for WHYY News, where she co-hosted a national Edward R. Murrow award-winning podcast about stop and frisk. She is passionate about bringing trauma-informed journalism and community engagement into newsrooms.
Jennifer Mascia is a senior news writer and founding staffer at The Trace, the only newsroom in America exclusively covering gun violence, which launched in 2015. She is also a contributor to CNN’s Guns in America team. She previously reported on gun violence for The New York Times. She is a graduate of Columbia Journalism School and CUNY Hunter College and the author of a memoir, Never Tell Our Business to Strangers, which details her investigation into her late father’s criminal past.
Paige Pfleger is the senior criminal justice reporter for WPLN News, Nashville Public Radio, and the southern chapter leader for the Association of Gun Violence Reporters. She has investigated gun dispossession, domestic violence and juvenile justice as a fellow with ProPublica’s Local Reporting network. Her investigative work has resulted in policy proposals at Tennessee’s state capitol and has been recognized by IRE and the Livingston Awards.
Eric Marsh, Sr.: A community leader, supporter, activist, outreach and engagement specialist, and advocate for healthy fathers and families for more than 20 years, Eric currently serves as the Director of Operations for the Philadelphia Center for Gun Violence Reporting. His previous role was Manager of Community Engagement for WHYY overseeing a portfolio of outreach and engagement efforts that includes the News & Information Community Exchange (NICE), a mutual-aid journalism collaborative for grassroots news and information content creators. He has also served as the Director of Union and Community Engagement for Councilmember At-Large Kendra Brooks for the city of Philadelphia, building relationships with citizens, constituents, stakeholders, union members and their leadership across the city to help build a more equitable and just city for all.
11:50 a.m. Closing Comments
• Dr. Jessica Beard, PCGVR Director of Research
• Oronde McClain, PCGVR Survivor Connection Director
• Eric Marsh, PCGVR Director of Operations
• Jim MacMillan, PCGVR Founder and Director
• Sammy Caiola, AGVR co-director
• Abené Clayton, AGVR co-director