After Thousand Oaks shooting, resources for reporting on America's gun violence epidemic
(Photo by Elvert Barnes/ Flickr)
Editor’s note: In light of the Nove. 7 mass shooting in Thousand Oaks, California, the Center for Health Journalism is sharing reporting and resources for reporters who find themselves covering tragedies such as this one.
Webinar: Outgunned: America’s Public Health Crisis
Recent mass shootings have left Americans hungry for a deeper understanding of what drives such violence and how we might collectively respond to the terrifying recurrence of such atrocities. This webinar features insights from two of the country’s leading researchers on gun violence and one of the country’s top reporters on the topic, providing reporters and policy thinkers with crucial data, context and story suggestions for a uniquely American epidemic of deaths and injury. Don’t have time to watch the webinar? You can read a blog post summarizing the event here.
Doctors are ready to share their stories from the frontlines of America’s gun violence crisis
Doctors have a unique perspective on the true impact of guns, since they're on the frontlines of treating victims. Physicians across the country are starting to share stories of the trauma they've seen firsthand.
Florida shooter may not be insane, but nation’s gun policies are senseless, experts say
Expanding access to mental health care is not a prescription for preventing mass shootings, say two psychiatrists. Only confronting the easy availability of guns can achieve that.
In Harm’s Way: Gun injuries and death among Florida kids have spiked
In her hard-hitting investigative Fellowship series, “In Harm’s Way,” Kathleen McGrory of the Tampa Bay Times examines the disturbing spike in gun injuries and deaths among Florida kids. Also, check out McGrory’s advice on how to make the stories of those affected by violence the focal point of your reporting. It’s always important to show what the trends and data mean for real people.
More Americans than ever are committing suicide with a gun
An average of 63 U.S. residents a day are now taking their own life with a gun, the highest number ever recorded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Immediate access to a gun can make all the difference, experts believe, because suicide is an impulsive act, often tied to an immediate stressor.
Preventing gun violence: Where are the data?
A compelling patient or researcher makes a story engaging; concrete statistics make a story valid. Data, however, aren’t always clear-cut, and experts disagree on interpreting and applying it. Here are a few things to keep in mind when using statistics from any side of the debate.