Want to join an association for gun violence reporting

A team of four journalists, including myself, have launched the Association of Gun Violence Reporters (AGVR) to provide a place for people covering gun violence to collaborate and learn from each other.

The other founders are Sammy Caiola, a Philadelphia-based independent journalist; Jennifer Mascia, a founding staff writer at The Trace; and Abené Clayton, a reporter on The Guardian's Guns and Lies in America project.

"Covering gun violence can be overwhelming and isolating," Caiola said. "It's a complex topic that touches on policy, social science, trauma, the criminal justice system and a hundred other things. We wanted to give reporters who work on this beat, even just occasionally, a place to ask questions, seek mentorship, and release stress. We're excited to see who comes to us and how we can lift up their work."

Anyone covering gun violence, crime, public safety, public health or any other related beat is welcome to join. We hope to connect more reporters covering this topic and to share best practices on trauma-informed and community-centered reporting.

Much of the American public has considerable knowledge gaps on gun violence. As reporters, we help improve how gun violence is covered and how Americans understand this crisis. We hope to highlight resources for better reporting on gun violence (such as the work done on this page).

The Association of Gun Violence Reporters also aims to elevate gun violence as a systemic problem by helping reporters cover it that way. For example, we'll offer story ideas and advice for finding sources. We hope to create a better map of where gun violence journalists are and what they're covering and encourage collaboration among gun violence reporters.

Covering gun violence can also be traumatic, especially when journalists are pressured to produce content that is misaligned with their values, or frames the issue as hopeless or inevitable. AGVR strives to provide a space for reporters to talk about this emotionally charged content. Whether that's connecting virtually or in person, we plan on facilitating meetings where reporters can come together and commiserate.

Some initiatives we are considering include a member and source directory, job board, meet-ups, chapter support and in-person chapter events, trainings, mentorship and collaboration opportunities.

We want to connect with other gun violence reporters and learn how AGVR can best support you. If you're interested in joining or learning more about our plans, please fill out this brief survey.

If you've benefited from any content posted on this page, please consider contacting us.

Our project is supported by the Philadelphia Center for Gun Violence Reporting. You can check out some of their research and resources for journalists here.