Harmful news coverage of gun violence remains a common issue in Philadelphia, even as the city’s homicide rate continues to drop, a recent study found.
The study was led by Jessica Beard, M.D., MPH, a trauma surgeon and professor at Temple University. Beard’s research, who has spent years researching the impacts of harmful reporting on gun violence in Philadelphia.
Her latest report aimed to “quantify the frequency and severity of harmful” community firearm violence coverage and found that harmful television news coverage can contribute to fear, stigma and trauma in communities most impacted by shootings.
“The news doesn’t just reflect what happens in a community,” Beard said to Temple Now. “It shapes how people understand it and how they understand the people who live there.”
The study’s findings could help journalists rethink how they report on firearm violence and the communities most affected by it.
A closer look at harmful coverage
Beard, who is also the director of research for the Philadelphia Center for Gun Violence Reporting, and her colleagues analyzed over 300 news clips covering individual shootings from Philadelphia’s four major broadcast stations in 2021. They matched those clips with city data on victims, incidents and neighborhood characteristics.
This study wasn’t done to call out individual journalists. Rather, the intent was to systematically measure patterns that come up in news reports that can contribute to trauma, stigma and fear. That’s why this study is a useful tool for reporters looking to cover firearm violence responsibly.
Beard has been studying harmful reporting for years. In one report (which we previously covered), Beard found specific examples that contribute to harmful reporting, such as no follow-up reporting on the shooting, law enforcement as the only source used, the name of the hospital where victims were treated and video from the shooting.
Move away from episodic framing, graphic images
One of the most common harmful patterns Beard and her team identified was episodic framing, when a news report narrowly focuses on a single person or incident of violence. This approach can reinforce the perception that violence is inevitable and make it harder to see systemic solutions.
“If you are watching TV news and you don’t see context, you don’t see root causes, you don’t see solutions—it feels hopeless,” Beard said to Temple Now. “You don’t know what to ask for. You don’t know how to be part of prevention.”
The study also found that nearly 91% of stories did not feature the perspective of the person who was shot.
“When reporting only tells viewers that ‘a man was shot,’ without context or humanity, people begin to feel interchangeable,” Beard said. “It makes individuals and communities feel unimportant and even disposable.”
Showing graphic images was another harmful practice, the study found. Graphic and/or explicit content was present in 30.3% of the studied news clips.
Black adult victims in nonfatal shootings and people harmed in majority-Black neighborhoods were more likely to appear in news reports containing graphic or explicit content, authors noted.
“Graphic and explicit content should not be in news reporting,” Beard said. “It doesn’t increase empathy in the way journalists may hope it does.”
Shift toward public health
Beard’s study is not calling for less reporting on gun violence. Rather, the findings point to a need for deeper, more humanizing coverage that centers public health.
That means providing context to violent crime, explaining prevention strategies, featuring voices and perspectives separate from law enforcement and avoiding traumatic and graphic visuals. The study encourages reporting that helps audiences better understand the causes of gun violence and strategies to prevent it.
“Gun violence is preventable,” Beard said. “Reporting should help people understand why it happens and what works to stop it.”
Resources
Check out these resources on how to cover firearm violence responsibly.
- Philadelphia Center for Gun Violence Reporting was founded to explore the idea that better gun violence reporting can improve public understanding and support effective programs and policies to prevent shootings. A part of the Center’s mission is to determine whether changing the practice of news reporting can prevent gun violence. The Center provides tips for better reporting practices and supports research on how the news media can do better when covering gun violence.
- The Association for Gun Violence Reporters is a nonprofit under The Philadelphia Center for Gun Violence Reporting that connects reporters covering gun violence reporting to expert contacts and offers story ideas, resources and access to a community of fellow journalists reporting on gun violence. The group also puts on occasional and free webinars.
