We wish to express our deepest gratitude to the hundreds of people who attended the Philadelphia premiere of The Second Trauma on April 17 at the Temple Performing Arts Center.
This 25-minute documentary shows the harmful effects of episodic gun violence reporting on survivors and co-victims and offers solutions on how we can do better to shift the narrative to a public health focus and give power back to the community to advocate for their safety.
The film and the event were produced in collaboration between the Philadelphia Center for Gun Violence Reporting and the Logan Center for Urban Investigative Reporting at Temple University. David Boardman, Dean of Temple University’s Klein College of Media and Communication, offered opening remarks.
Two conversations followed the screening, hosted by Loraine Ballard Morrill, Director of News & Community Affairs For iHeartMedia’s six Philadelphia Stations. Angela Wade and Armond James, who appear in the film, discussed experiences with the news media after losing loved ones to gun violence in Philadelphia during a fireside chat with Ballard Morrill.
Listen to the fireside chat with Angela Wade, Armond James and Loraine Ballard Morrill
The second session featured the core team behind the film and the event, including:
• Prof. Yvonne Latty, Director of the Logan Center for Urban Investigative Reporting at Temple University and producer and director of the The Second Trauma
• Oronde McClain, Credible Messenger Newsroom Liaison at the Philadelphia Center for Gun Violence Reporting, Stoneleigh Foundation Emerging Leader Fellow, gun violence survivor and co-producer and host of the film
• Dr. Jessica Beard, Director of Research at the Philadelphia Center for Gun Violence Reporting, Stoneleigh Foundation Fellow, trauma surgeon at Temple University Hospital and associate professor at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine
• Jim MacMillan, Founder and Director of the Philadelphia Center for Gun Violence Reporting and a Assistant Director of the Logan Center for Urban Investigative Reporting
Listen to the core team panel discussion
Photo captions: 1) Oronde McClain takes a question from Loraine Ballard Morrill. 2) Oronde McClain and Dr. Jessica Beard listen as Prof. Yvonne Latty responds to a question. 3) The core team panel takes questions. 4) Armond James shares his story. 5) Jim MacMillan listens as Dr. Jessica Beard responds to a question. 6) Hundreds gather at the Temple Performing Arts Center. 7) Jim MacMillan looks on as Prof. Yvonne Larry welcomes attendees. 8) Angela Wade shares her story.
Steeped in journalism, lived experience and academic research
01.10.24: The core team behind The Second Trauma, our new collaborative short documentary, was invited to speak in Philadelphia at the Crime Coverage Summit organized by the Radio Television Digital News Association and National Press Foundation, with support from Arnold Ventures. Scroll down to watch trailer from The Second Trauma and learn about screening opportunities.
Certification workshop feedback, outcomes and next steps
We had a breakout year in 2023, leveraging new and renewed funding to expand our staff, convene more events, provide support to more than 80 community experts and professional journalists, collaborate with more than 30 organizations, publish our first study and share findings from more. YEAR IN REVIEW
The Philadelphia Center for Gun Violence Reporting was launched to explore the hypotheses that changing the way some journalists and news organizations cover gun violence can prevent shootings and save lives. Since then, our research collaborative has refined this focus by identifying harmful reporting practices, asking what best practices would look like and how they could be implemented. Now, we have organized our work into three closely-aligned programs:
Credible Messenger Reporting Project
Our community reporting project empowers people impacted by gun violence to report on root causes, lived experience and possible solutions from the community perspective. Credible Messengers are paired with advanced professional journalists to learn from each other and leverage their combined authority to produce and distribute independent news reports. READ MORE
Interdisciplinary research colllaborative
We facilitate an interdisciplinary research collaborative that is exploring the intersection of gun violence, impacted communities and the media. Our Director or Research Dr. Jessica Beard presented our work last spring at the SAVIR conference in Washington. Dr. Jennifer Midberry presented at ICA in Paris. READ MORE
Better Gun Violence Reporting
What does the most ethical, impactful and empathetic reporting look like when covering community gun violence? We collaborate with journalists, community representatives and other experts to advance reporting practices. READ MORE
We are proud of our progress and excited to contribute significantly to addressing Philadelphia’s gun violence crisis while shaping journalism practices along the way. But we need your help.
Watch the trailer: The Second Trauma
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
Each week we share news from our Center plus local updates on gun violence and prevention from our partners at Billy Penn.
Above: PCGVR Credible Messenger Community Manager Maxayn Gooden met recently with students in Prof. Florence Madenga’s “Black Journalism and Philadelphia” course at the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania.
Thirty-one shooting victims were recorded from April 7 through April 13 in Philadelphia, including six fatalities, according to city data. During the previous week: eleven shooting victims were recorded, including three fatalities.
PCGVR director of research leading new NIH grant
A new two-year, $450,000 grant from the National Institutes of Health builds on previous research from PCGVR research director Dr. Jessica Beard, pictured at top, right above during a meeting of our research collaborative in 2022. She will be joined in the study by Prof. Jennifer Midberry at Lehigh University, seated at left above and Prof. Christopher N. Morrison at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. READ MORE
New project: The Survivor Connection
When our latest project launches, Philadelphia journalists will have free and swift mobile access to community-based expert sources including gun violence survivors, co-victims and other impacted individuals.
People with lived experience will have access to paid training in trauma and media literacy and may opt in and out of participating in the expert source program at will.
The Survivor Connection project is led by PCGVR Newsroom Liaison and survivor Oronde McClain, pictured above, thanks to support from his Stoneleigh Foundation Emerging Leader Fellowship. LEARN MORE | CONTACT US
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.