Some of the best reporting on gun violence is happening at the local level. A great example is AL.com’s Beyond the Violence project in Birmingham, Ala. Alaina Bookman is the gun violence prevention reporter on the series.
Her coverage runs the spectrum, highlighting efforts focused on providing Birmingham’s youth with safe outlets and mentorship. She has also reported on community violence intervention efforts and has elevated the voices of community leaders who have taken personal strides to make their neighborhoods safer.
Below is a conversation with Bookman on her reporting and her newsroom’s project.
This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.
Can you explain the mission of the Beyond the Violence project? When and why did it start?
Beyond the Violence is a series of stories that examine the efforts to make Birmingham, Ala., safer. The series began in 2022 and has evolved as Birmingham confronts record homicide numbers. The Beyond the Violence project looks beyond the shootings and homicides to find how community members and city officials are identifying solutions to interrupt cycles of crime.
What have you learned about reporting on gun violence through this project? What key elements make for solid gun violence reporting?
In the two years I’ve spent reporting on violence prevention, I’ve learned how harmful it can be to not dig deeper. It’s no longer enough to only report on shootings and homicides. Newsrooms are moving away from “if it bleeds it leads” and are beginning to look beyond just crime reporting to examine what solutions are available to stop the violence.
The community members I’ve spoken to have talked about being tired of reading a constant flood of crime news. Instead, they want to know what’s being done to stop the violence.
I think the best gun violence reporting highlights community members as the experts. It digs deeper into the personal narratives of people impacted by gun violence to understand not just the trauma, but their hopes for the future and how they are contributing to solutions.
How does your role as a“violence prevention reporter” impact how you cover this topic?
The violence prevention beat allowed me to take more time to get to know the community beyond shootings and homicides.
As a violence prevention reporter, most of the stories I write highlight the work community members are doing to improve their communities and intervene in cycles of violence — from support groups to post-incarceration reentry programs. Instead of focusing just on the crime itself, I am able to dig deeper into how community members are working toward effective, lasting solutions.
I saw that AL.com hosted a community event called ‘Birmingham Dreams.’ Can you tell us about it?
After a series of off-the-record community roundtable discussions hosted by AL.com’s Ruth Serven Smith and Birmingham’s Poet Laureate Salaam Green, AL.com hosted Birmingham Dreams to give community members a chance to share their stories.
Seven neighborhood storytellers talked about growing up in Birmingham, what they see in their neighborhoods today and their hopes for the city’s future. Community members from all corners of Birmingham shared poems about their neighborhoods (which made me tear up multiple times), stories about the work they are doing to improve their community and their dreams for the city.
Jamaree and Jeff Collins, a father and son who live in Titusville, talked about the importance of community and mentoring local youth. Kevin Tarver, an East Lake resident, recited a poem about the beauty of his neighborhood despite the physical and metaphorical barriers placed within it. I participated in a short panel discussion with AL.com’s John Archibald where I discussed the Beyond the Violence project.
The event was an incredible way to bring community members together to showcase the solutions, talent and work done in our city everyday. AL.com plans to host similar events in the future to give community members a platform to talk about what matters to them.
Can you share some story ideas related to gun violence that you think any reporter could cover in their city and/or state?
Readers have told me that they want reporting that shows what’s being done in their communities to guide youth, set adults on better paths and improve factors that contribute to violence like blight and poverty.
Some cities have “credible messenger programs” made up of people who have been impacted by gun violence or incarcerated that mentor local youth and justice-impacted adults. Those organizations have been my greatest resources.
Contact local schools and nonprofits to talk to youth about the programs they are in that make them feel safe and heard.
Follow up with community members impacted by gun violence. What has a mother done to cope with the loss of her child? How is a brother remembering their sibling years after a shooting? What has a local business, school, organization done to honor community members lost to gun violence?
What do you and your newsroom hope to accomplish with the Beyond the Violence project? What impact have you observed from your reporting?
We hope to make Birmingham safer through reporting that goes beyond shootings and homicides that uncovers the solutions that have come out of the city. My hope is that community members feel heard through our reporting and that we represent the good that the city has to offer.
Stories from the Beyond the Violence project have been recognized nationally by organizations including the Solutions Journalism Network, Report for America the Education Writers Association and Philadelphia Center for Gun Violence Reporting. The project has also led to increased funding and recognition for local violence prevention programming.
