Nearly 250 people attended the inaugural Better Gun Violence Reporting Summit last month in Philadelphia and the early reviews were good.
But not everybody agrees with our approach and we’re not going bring about change if we only communicate with our allies.
So, we asked IBGVR volunteer Lily Kraxberger, who studies journalism and public health at the University of Missouri, to search and compile the best advice she could find on communicating with our critics.
Here’s what she delivered, and what were’ trying to do. We started by sharing these tips at the end of the summit.
Build rapport
Find where you both agree first. They’ll see you as more reasonable, and you’ll be more understanding of their concerns.
Listen actively
People know if you’re preparing to brush them off. Making someone feel heard strengthens your relationship for discussion.
Give them an out
Acknowledge their prior belief was okay given what they knew then. Now that the situation has shifted, they’re allowed to shift too.
Meet them where they’re at
Not everyone changes their mind right away, or ever. Be patient and know that any progress helps the cause
What if changing the way journalists report on gun violence could prevent shootings and save lives?
The Initiative for Better Gun Violence Reporting has been created to inform a new set of best practices for journalists reporting on gun violence and to explore the hypothesis that changing the way this issue is covered could prevent shooting incidents and save lives.
And we have good reason to believe this work will make a difference.
Here’s what you can do:
- Let us know what you’re thinking.
- Subscribe to receive our free monthly email newsletter.
- Get on the record by leaving a testimonial.
- Or best of all:
