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New year, new knowledge, new strategies

During 2019, The Initiative for Better Gun Violence Reporting created two new events and participated in several more.

Check out our Report to Funders to learn more about last month’s Better Gun Violence Reporting Summit and don’t forget about our late-summer Community Conversations event.

In 2020, we will be working to:

Introduce a preliminary set of best practices for journalists covering gun violence, based on what we have learned so far, along with related resources.
Conduct a six-month survey of attendees to better assess the impact of the Better Gun Violence Reporting Summit.
Begin the work of transforming the Initiative into an enduring National Center for Gun Violence Reporting, through strategic planning, rebranding and development.

Officials respond

Count both Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro and Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner among many who have taken notice of the collaborative effort emerging to include resources within related news reports for the benefit of those impacted by gun violence.

The resource sharing project emerged from a session during the Better Gun Violence Reporting Summit. Here's the story of how it all came together: A mom complains about gun violence stories. Philly journalists respond with resources

NBC10 now links to resources for those impacted by gun violence in Philadelphia, joining Billy Penn and WHYY. We have reached out to more news organizations and will also meet with community representatives to assess and refine the list.

Data-informed news

More local news organizations have been implementing the IBGVR Philadelphia Shooting Victims data dashboard, including CBS Philly and the Pennsylvania Capital-Star.

We think we have spotted a few more instances of newsrooms using our resources and we're honored to help. We don't require attribution but would appreciate tips when you spot out tools in action. Use: ibgvr.org/contact

Taking a moment

IBGVR founder Jim MacMillan was honored with a 2019 DIY Philadelphia News Award at the Pen & Pencil Club, which this year granted members “the power to create your own award categories and bestow them on deserving folks.” Technically Media founder and CEO Christopher Wink credited Jim for leveraging his decades of experience to start a new movement and presented this sparkly sneaker ornament as a keepsake. The Pen & Pencil Club is one of the oldest surviving press clubs in the country, founded in 1892.

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.

We have good reason to believe this work will make a difference. Your contributions will help make future events and research possible.

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