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.
The need for this toolkit was identified by participants during PCGVR’s 2022 Better Gun Violence Reporting Workshop, which was produced in partnership with The Better Lab, a human-centered design venture working to study and fix health care challenges. Twenty-six journalists representing every major Philadelphia news organization, 10 gun violence prevention advocates from impacted communities, nine staffers from PCGVR, and 25 participants from partnering organizations attended. This report was produced collaboratively with the FrameWorks Institute, which conducted the research.
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