PCGVR launches program connecting gun violence survivors with journalists

Emerging Leader Oronde McClain and the Philadelphia Center for Gun Violence Reporting have just launched The Survivor Connection, a program to facilitate more empathetic, ethical and impactful gun violence journalism in Philadelphia by bridging the gap between journalists and people who survive gun violence.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Philadelphia, PA — A groundbreaking program launched Wednesday by The Philadelphia Center for Gun Violence Reporting promises to facilitate more empathetic, ethical and impactful news reporting in the city by bridging a gap between journalists and the survivor community.

The Survivor Connection database will enable journalists to connect with hundreds of community members with lived experience of gun violence in an effort to broaden the narrative beyond traditional police reporting. Gun violence survivor Oronde McClain leads the program.

Since arriving at PCGVR as a community journalist in 2022, McClain, who was injured in a drive-by shooting when he was 10 years old, has acted as a liaison between journalists and community members and has advocated for better gun violence reporting to audiences across the country.

“For far too long, the people, facts and solutions that should be at the core of conversations about this public health crisis have been passed over, ignored, overlooked, and undervalued,” McClain said. “It’s time to amplify the voices of those impacted most.”

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