KEY EVENT TIMELINE
JULY 2018
Origin story: A mutual friend and colleague introduces Dr. Jessica Beard and Jim MacMillan, having noticed their mutual interest in gun violence prevention and the role of the media. He was the assistant director for external affairs that Klein College of Media and Communication at Temple University in Philadelphia and a Pulitzer Prize-winning former photojournalist. She was a trauma surgeon who cared for firearm-injured patients at Temple University Hospital and a public heath researcher at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple. They almost immediately write an opinion piece for The Philadelphia Inquirer: To understand Philly’s gun violence crisis, in-depth reporting is needed | Opinion
MARCH, 2019
Jim MacMillan is awarded a residential fellowship at the Reynolds Journalism Institute at the University of Missouri school of Journalism, where he had been an assistant professor on the convergence journalism faculty a decade earlier. His fellowship project goals include convening a national conference on better gun violence reporting, publishing a preliminary set of best practices for journalists and launch an enduring organizing to continue this work back in Philadelphia, where he will do his field work. In the news: This journalist will spend a year creating guidelines for America’s gun violence reporting
JULY , 2019
MacMillan launches The Initiative for Better Gun Violence Reporting, a fiscally-sponsored nonprofit organization to manage the support he needs to raise to conduct his proposed fellowship project. Mission: To explore the hypothesis that changing the practice of news reporting could prevent shootings and save lives.
The Germantown Info Hub invites MacMillan to discuss this work on the radio and in person. (Germantown is a Philadelphia neighborhood distressed by gun violence and the Info Hub is a nonprofit community news organization.)
AUGUST, 2019
The Reynolds Journalist Institute published an introduction to the fellowship.
SEPTEMBER, 2019
MacMillan gathers a small team of volunteer journalist and researchers and they convene a Community Conversations Day at the conference center at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University. Fifteen Philadelphia-based journalists were invited to spend a day with 30 residents from the core communities impacted by gun violence in the city, most of whom had lost several loved ones. From our site: Gathering brings journalists to the community to discuss gun violence coverage
OCTOBER, 2019
The Pennsylvania Capital-Star interviews MacMillan about event
NOVEMBER, 2019
MacMillan and the growing team convene the Better Gun Violence Reporting Summit at the headquarters of WHYY public media in Philadelphia. Nearly 250 journalists, researchers, community representatives, public officials, students and others attend. Journalists came from The New York Times to The Los Angeles Times, as well as from smaller cities, digital first media, community news organizations and everywhere else.
Event: https://ibgvr.org/bgvr2019/
More info: https://ibgvr.org/report-to-funders/
MARCH, 2020
COVID forces virtual-only operations
JULY, 2020
MacMillan publishes a best practices guide for reporting on gun violence, informed by the collective wisdom of Summit speakers and attendees.
OCTOBER, 2020
Dr. Jessica Beard and Jim MacMillan are authors on a new study that shows half of all shooting victims were not reported in the news. Penn Medicine wrote about the study.
SEPTEMBER, 2021
Dr. Beard earns Stoneleigh Foundation Fellowship, joins Philadelphia Center for Gun Violence Reporting as director of Research RELEASE / PROJECT / COVERAGE
APRIL, 2022
PCGVR co-produces and Dr. Beard participates in groundbreaking webinar: Shift the Narrative: Media Panel on Community-Centered Gun Violence Reporting
Related coverage: Stop doing ‘breaking news’ for more accurate gun violence coverage, panel says
JUNE, 2022
June, 2022: We premiere Stronger Every Day, an audio documentary about one of Dr. Beard’s patients. LISTEN
AUGUST, 2022
Oronde writes about his personal transformation while participating in our community reporting program: I was shot in the head as a child. It took 20 years, and other survivors, to heal
PCGVR convenes first Credible Messenger Film Festival
SEPTEMBER, 2022
PCGVR convented the Better Gun Violence Workshop, our first in-person event since the pandemic forced us online. Workshop discussions, brainstorming, prototype development, pitches, voting and commitments made up most of the day and were designed and facilitated by the team from The Better Lab, a human-centered design firm with whom we partnered. ABOUT / COVERAGE
Dr. Beard keynotes “Reporting on Violence as a Public Health Issue: An AHCJ Summit,” organized the the Association of Health Care Journalists. MacMillan convenes and moderates a related panel: “Transforming news coverage of gun violence”
APRIL, 2022
In the news: Frequency of mass shootings in Philadelphia increased after start of COVID-19 pandemic
JANUARY, 2023
We publish our first study:
‘Like I’m a nobody’: Breaking news coverage of shootings is dehumanizing and delays progress, per new Temple study BILLY PENN
Related interview with Dr. Beard: Philadelphia Citizen / NPR / The Trace
The New York Amsterdam News had Jessica on a webinar with three reporters from The Trace, above.
MARCH, 2023
Philadelphia Magazine adds Jessica to a short list of True Believers in gun violence prevention
Jim MacMillan presents at Law and
ice Journalism Project conference in Washington.
MAY, 2023:
Jessica featured on It’s All Journalism Podcast
PCGVR convenes Credible Messenger Link-up and Info Session at Temple University
JUNE, 2023
Jessica Beard and two of our partners appear on Vitals: Curbing Gun Violence With a Public Health Approach
JULY, 2023
PCGVR convenes second annual Credible Messenger Film Festival
AUGUST, 2023
Jim MacMillan participates on panel at National Association of Black Journalists national conference in Birmingham
SEPTEMBER, 2023
NBC10 special report on Oronde
FOX29 Save Our Streets includes Oronde, Maxayn, Dashawn and some of our favorite community partners
OCTOBER, 2023
Research partner Dr. Jennifer Midberry discusses our research during (virtual) Guggenheim Symposium on Crime in America:
Jessica, Maxayn and Jim present at Transforming Narratives of Gun Violence workshop at Harvard Radcliffe Institute
Jim and Jessica named among Philadelphia Magazine Most Influential Philadelphians
NOVEMBER, 2023
DECEMBER, 2023
Oronde and Jim on panel at National Gun Violence Prevention Summit
JANUARY, 2024
We premiere our Second Trauma documentary and hold a panel and the Crime Coverage Summit convened in Philadelphia by the National Press Foundation and the Radio television News Directors Association
FEBRUARY, 2024
Jessica and three of our key partners featured by National Press Club webinar (Note: The other three participants now lead chapters for our new national reporting organization, detailed below.)
Association of Health Care Journalists interviews Jim and a participant from our recent certification workshop.
APRIL, 2024
Oronde and Jim promote upcoming documentary premiere on local radio
The Second Trauma premieres at the Temple Performing Arts Center
Columbia College interviews (alum) Jessica
MAY, 2024
Temple med school promotes our two new studies (Studies are linked within)
The Trace reports on our new studies
We release our new toolkit https://archive.pcgvr.org/toolkit/
JUNE, 2024
Jessica participates on panel at Association of Health Care Journalists conference in New York
The Journalist’s Resource reports on our new studies
JULY, 2024
PCGVR Featured in RJI report, THE first in a series about us: Getting started with a gun violence prevention beat
Association of Health Care Journalists reports on our research
AUGUST, 2024
Jim and Jessica on The Trauma Beat!
PCGVR is recognized as a recommended resource in the AP Stylebook
Source confirms Surgeon general’s advisory team is aware of our research
PCGVR launches national Association of Gun Violence Reporters
PCGVR team joins panel at AEJMC national conference
SEPTEMBER, 2024
PCGVR begins hiring process for director of operations
PCGVR team visits the Missouri School of Journalism
Same trip: visiting with journalists in St. Louis
OCTOBER, 2024
New PBS NewsHour documentary checks in with PCGVR research director
The student producer who interviewed Dr. Beard shared some kind and encouraging words in a new op-ed published in Teen Vogue
Maxayn Gooden joins Public Trust conversation on Brothers in Grief
Community Voices of Healing, Reflection and Hope is a new podcast from our Credible Messenger Reporting Project. Host and executive producer Maxayn Gooden interviews and facilitates conversations among other members of the survivor community in Philadelphia, taking the time to share their experiences in a safe place and in extraordinary depth.
NOVEMBER, 2024
Our team previewed The Survivor Connection, a new tool that will help reporters put the survivor community at the center of their coverage, at Klein News Innovation Camp at Temple University
We previewed The Survivor Connection, a new tool that will help reporters put the survivor community at the center of their coverage. The public launch will take place early in the new year.
PCGVR director of research Dr. Jessica Beard discussed our work on Radio France International.
The new Association of Gun Violence Reporters hosted a local gathering in Philadelphia.
DECEMBER, 2024
Leaders of the new Association of Gun Violence Reporters launched with a webinar, hosted by The Center for Just Journalism. The organization was launched with support from PCGVR.
PCGVR sent a team to participate in the National Research Conference for the Prevention of Firearm-Related Harms in Seattle.
The multidisciplinary collaborative led by PCGVR director of research Dr. Jessica Beard published a new study: Defining harmful news reporting on community firearm violence: A modified Delphi consensus study
JANUARY, 2025
Eric Marsh Sr., a celebrated community organizer and gun violence prevention advocate, joins PCGVR as director of operations.
New research from PCGVR collaborative identifies and rates harmful gun violence reporting in the news.
Hundreds attended a CDC webinar with PCGVR team.
FEBRUARY, 2025
MARCH, 2025
APRIL, 2025
MAY, 2025
The expanding Association of Gun Violence levels up with new site, expanded team, membership program and announces events at national journalism conference.
JUNE, 2025
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania echoes PCGVR guidance calling for trauma training for journalists who report on gun violence. The Guardian published a later draft.
“Unheard” documentary released from our Credible Messenger Reporting Project.
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