Training journalists and students in best reporting practices

Clockwise from top-left, above: PCGVR research director Dr. Jessica Beard and newsroom liaison Oronde McClain, Temple University Journalism Prof. Yvonne Latty, who also directs the Logan Center for Urban Investigative Reporting at Temple, and PCGVR founder and director Jim MacMillan. (Missouri School of Journalism photos)

Each year, the PCGVR team visits dozens of newsrooms, conferences, colleges and universities across the country. Last year, we started turning toward more national activities and impact.

Conducting and publishing multidisciplinary research for impact

Above: Researchers participating in our collaborative gathered for a meeting at Temple University Hospital in Philadelphia. Photo by Kriston Jae Bethel for PCGVR.

PCGVR director of research Dr. Jessica Beard is the corresponding author on our most recent study: Defining harmful news reporting on community firearm violence: A modified Delphi consensus study.

The study included 21 experts — from the gun violence survivor community, journalism practice, and scholarship —  who identified 12 specific harmful elements found in news reports and then rated those harms across individual, community and society levels. FINDINGS | READ THE STUDY | OUR PREVIOUS RESEARCH

Centering the voices of survivors in the media

The Survivor Connection is a new resource intended to make experts from the gun violence survivor community more readily accessible to journalists in Philadelphia.. READ THE PRESS RELEASE | VISIT THE WEB SITE

Tips for shifting gun violence reporting toward a public health lens

Our director of research Dr. Jessica Beard joined three of our favorite reporting partners for a discussion on how to shift story framing to one that emphasizes solutions, prevention methods, and data. This is a master class.

Watch now: New, national Association of Gun Violence Reporters kicks off

Clockwise above from top, left: Moderator Laura Bennet, director of The Center for Just Journalism, and AGVR founding staffers: Jennifer Mascia from The Trace and CNN, independent journalist Alain Stephens, Sammy Caiola from the Kensington Voice and Abené Clayton from The Guardian.

Leaders of the new Association of Gun Violence Reporters kicked off activities with a webinar in December, 2024. The organization was launched with support from PCGVR. WATCH NOW.

Watch now: New PBS NewsHour documentary checks in with PCGVR research director

Run, Hide, Fight: Growing up under the gun,” is a new documentary produced by PBS News Student Reporting Labs and featuring stories produced by 14 young journalists from around the country, including an interview with PCGVR director or research Dr. Jessica Beard. WATCH THE FULL DOCUMENTARY | JUMP TO DR. BEARD’S INTERVIEW

The Second Trauma documentary tour is underway. We are visiting colleges and universities, journalism conferences, newsrooms and other organizations. To request an exclusive screening and expert panel discussion, visit: thesecondtrauma.net

Certification workshop feedback, outcomes and next steps

02.16.24: PCGVR director Jim MacMillan and Alaina Bookman of AL.com discussed our recent Gun Violence Prevention Reporter Certification Workshop in this webinar hosted by the Association of Health Care Journalists.

Get to know the public health approach

Some of the data is this video is now out of date but this is still a great primer on public health strategies to prevent gun violence, including interviews with our research director Dr. Jessica Beard and a couple of our favorite partners.

Voices from Philadelphia journalism and survivor communities

We were honored with the opportunity to co-produce and participate in this invigorating and informative conversation on advancing community-centered and solutions-oriented reporting on gun violence in Philadelphia and other U.S. cities in 2022.


PCGVR in the news: 05.05.25

Make a difference. Support PCGVR.

We are here to dispel myths, elevate facts, provide hope, build resilience, and amplify the voices of victims and survivors of gun violence that, for far too long, have been silenced, ignored, diminished, and undervalued. But we need your help.

Weekly data from Philadelphia

Thirty-two shooting victims were recorded from April 27 through May 3 in Philadelphia, including four fatalities, according to city data. During the previous week: 14 shooting victims were recorded, including one fatality. Last week’s fatal and nonfatal victim total nearly was nearly double the seven-day average recorded in the city during the first four months of this year. Weekly map generated via: nickhand.dev

Visiting violence prevention network

PCGVR’s Eric Marsh, left, and Oronde McClain, at right, speak with Community Crisis Intervention Program Advocate LuQman Abdullah after presenting our work at the headquarters of the Philadelphia Anti-Drug/Anti-Violence Network last week. LuQman is also a previous participant in our Credible Messenger Reporting Project.

Weekly Brief: 05.01.25

Each week we share news from our center, local updates from our partners at Billy Penn and all the latest gun violence and prevention headlines. This week: We have a new reporting toolkit outreach campaign coming up — but you don’t have to wait. There’s a new podcast from Philadelphia. In the news: widespread localized fallout from federal cuts to gun violence prevention programs across the US. Read More

Media mentions: PCGVR in the News

Since we launched in 2020, PCGVR programs, staffers, partners, events, participants and impact have been featured in nearly 150 news reports. For the complete list, please visit: Media Mentions: PCGVR in the News

Meet us on Bluesky

We now concentrate our social media efforts entirely on Bluesky. JOIN US

Years of work in one concise guide, available for free

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.

Please enter your email address to view the mobile version, download the printable pdf or request printed copies now:

They took it down. We saved you a copy. And put it back online.

In June, 2024, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy published a landmark Surgeon General’s Advisory on Firearm Violence, declaring firearm violence in America to be a public health crisis, along with a companion video. Somebody took them down. We put them back online. GET THE ADVISORY | MORE INFO | SUPPORT PCGVR

Directory

Funders
• The Stoneleigh Foundation
• Independence Public Media Foundation
• Spring Point Partners
• The William Penn Foundation
• HFGF
• Knight-Lenfest Local News Transformation Fund
• The Lenfest Institute for Journalism
• The Alfred and Mary Douty Foundation
• Reynolds Journalism Institute at the University of Missouri
• Philadelphia Office of Violence Prevention
• The Barra Foundation Directors Grant Program

In-kind contributors
• WHYY
• Philadelphia Association of Black Journalists
• Reynolds Journalism Institute at the University of Missouri
• Mothers in Charge
• AH Datalytics
• Action Tank
• The Scattergood Foundation
• Resolve Philly
• Fels Lab at the University of Pennsylvania

Community Partners
• Mothers in Charge
• YEAH Philly
• Zero Homicides Now
• Need in Deed

Media Partners
• Logan Center for Urban Investigative Reporting
• WHYY & Billy Penn
• The Trace & Up the Block
• Philadelphia Association of Black Journalists
• 5 Shorts Project
• Kouvenda Media
• Seeking Solutions: Gun Violence in Missouri
• Philadelphia Obituary Project
• Resolve Philly
• WURD Radio
• Columbia Journalism Review
• The Student Vanguard at Community College of Philadelphia
• Revive Radio

Summit partner institutions
• Reynolds Journalism Institute, University of Missouri
• Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma as Columbia University
• WHYY
• The Lenfest Institute for Journalism
• The Trace
• The Guardian: Guns and Lies
• Coalition of Trauma Centers for Firearm Injury Prevention
• Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions
• Guns & America, WAMU
• Mothers in Charge

Gun violence solutions

Research shows when enacted in combination, these five key policies and programmatic priorities have the potential to save countless lives. Related: Reducing Gun Violence in America: Evidence for Change [Coursera]

Lifelines

If you or someone you know is suicidal, in crisis, or in need of general mental health support, please know help is available. You can contact your physician, local hospital emergency room, or any of the hotlines, text lines, web chats, and support groups listed below. Most are free and confidential resources. Many are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. 

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 988
Crisis Text Line: 741741
• Lifeline Chat web chat service
Samaritans’ Helpline: (877) 870-4673 (available in 240+ languages)

Journalists: Take this online course on Responsible Reporting on Suicide. (You can audit for free or pay to get certified.)

Need help in Philadelphia?

Mailing address

The Philadelphia Center for Gun Violence Reporting
c/o CultureTrust Greater Philadelphia
1315 Walnut Street, Suite 300
Philadelphia, PA 19107


Organization

The Philadelphia Center Gun Violence Reporting is the primary project of The Initiative for Better Gun Violence Reporting. The Initiative is co-managed with fiscal sponsorship by CultureTrust Greater Philadelphia and is a member of CultureWorks Greater Philadelphia. EIN: 46-3109411

Newsletter

Each Wednesday morning we share news, research, data, opinions and community responses related to gun violence and prevention in Philadelphia. You can subscribe for free.

Licensing

Except where otherwise noted, this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Some embedded content, web site design logos and photographs may not be covered.