The inaugural Better Gun Violence Reporting Summit was convened in Philadelphia at WHYY headquarters on November 8, 2019. The event brought over 250 attendees – including journalists, academics, gun violence survivors and community members – together to explore the hypothesis that better, more empathetic news reporting on gun violence could prevent shootings and save lives.
LEARN MORE: Summit Agenda | Speakers & Experts | Photo Gallery | Reporting Best Practices | Practical Guidance For Reporting on Gun Violence | Summit Recap | #BGVR2019 on Twitter
8:00 – 9:00am:
Registration & Continental Breakfast
9:00 – 9:20am:
Welcome & Introductions
Errin Haines, National Writer, Race & Ethnicity, Associated Press; Ferris Professor of Journalism, Princeton University
Jim MacMillan, Director, Initiative for Better Gun Violence Reporting; Fellow, Reynolds Journalism Institute, University of Missouri
Sandra Clark, Vice President for News and Civic Dialogue, WHYY
Jim Friedlich, Executive Director and CEO, The Lenfest Institute
9:20 – 10:20am:
Covering Gun Violence: How We’re Trying to Do It Better
(Organized by The Trace)
Jonathan Bullington, Investigative Reporter, Courier Journal, Louisville
Abené Clayton, Reporter, The Guardian, Guns and Lies in America, Oakland
Nadege Green, Reporter, WLRN Public Radio, Miami
Akoto Ofori-Atta, Managing Editor, The Trace, New York
Moderator: James Burnett, Editorial Director, The Trace, New York
10:20 – 10:40am: Break
10:40 – 11:40am:
Gun Licensing, ERPO Laws & Violence Prevention: Public Health Researchers Explain
(Organized by Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Policy and Research)
Daniel Webster, ScD, MPH, Bloomberg Professor of American Health in Violence Prevention, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health; Director, Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Policy and Research
Shannon Frattaroli, PhD, MPH, Associate Professor of Health Policy and Management, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health; Core Faculty, Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Policy and Research
11:40 – 12:00pm: Break
12:00 – 1:00pm:
Reporting with Authority: Knowing the Research, Knowing the Vocab
(Organized by Guns & America)
Jeremy Bernfeld, Lead Editor, Guns & America; Director of Collaborative Reporting, WAMU, Washington DC
Lisa Dunn, Research Editor, Guns & America, Washington DC
Alana Wise, Reporting Fellow, WAMU, Washington DC
1:00 – 1:30pm: Lunch
1:30 – 1:40pm:
Demo: New Tool Makes Philadelphia Gun Violence Data More Accessible
(Organized by AH Datalytics, The Philadelphia Association of Black Journalists, and The Initiative for Better Gun Violence Reporting)
Jim MacMillan, Director, Initiative for Better Gun Violence Reporting; Fellow, Reynolds Journalism Institute, University of Missouri
1:40 – 2:00pm:
What One Community Wants Journalists to Understand about Gun Violence
Jennifer Midberry, PhD, Assistant Professor, The Media School, Indiana University Bloomington
2:00 – 3:00pm:
Coming Together: Local Journalists and Mothers of the Fallen
(Organized by WHYY)
Mensah M. Dean, Justice & Injustice Reporter, The Philadelphia Inquirer
Cherri Gregg, Community Affairs Reporter & Host, Flashpoint, KYW Newsradio
Christopher Norris, Community Contributor and Engagement Editor, WHYY
Moderator: Dorothy Johnson-Speight, PhD, Founder and National Executive Director, Mothers in Charge
3:00 – 3:15pm: Break
3:15 – 4:20pm:
Widening the Lens: Perspectives from the Medical, Public Health & Research Communities
(Organized by The Coalition of Trauma Centers for Firearm Injury Prevention)
Sara F. Jacoby, MPH, MSN, PhD, Former Trauma Nurse; Assistant Professor of Nursing, University of Pennsylvania
Elinore J. Kaufman, MD, Fellow, Surgical Critical Care and Trauma Surgery, University of Pennsylvania
Caterina Roman, PhD, Associate Professor of Criminal Justice, Temple University
Raynard Washington, PhD, MPH, Chief Epidemiologist, City of Philadelphia, Department of Public Health
Moderator: Jessica H. Beard, MD, MPH, Assistant Professor of Surgery, Temple University
4:20 – 4:50pm:
Getting from Here to There: Informing Best Practice Guidelines / Key Takeaways from the Day
Facilitated by Errin Haines, National Writer, Race & Ethnicity, Associated Press; Ferris Professor of Journalism, Princeton University
4:50 – 5:00pm:
Closing Remarks
Jim MacMillan, Director, Initiative for Better Gun Violence Reporting; Fellow, Reynolds Journalism Institute, University of Missouri