How I did it: Building trust on the gun violence prevention beat in ...

When covering gun violence, developing sources within the communities hit hardest by constant gunfire and presenting their stories front and center is crucial. 

However, many community members in these areas distrust the media thanks to decades of coverage primarily focused on the violent crime that occurs in these communities and little else. 

Sammy Caiola, a journalist in Philadelphia, covered gun violence prevention for WHYY, the city’s public radio station and NPR affiliate. 

Before she even produced her first story, her editor sent her on a two-month listening tour of Philadelphia where she learned about how harmful reporting practices fostered distrust in the media. She also picked up many story ideas and met people who became reliable sources for her beat.

Caiola and I chatted about her listening tour and her ongoing effort on the beat to seek out the people most impacted by gun violence. She shared with me how she did it, why it was a valuable experience and how health care journalists can use similar tactics for building sources. 

Listening tour 

For starters, Caiola said it’s important to understand the community’s relationship with the media. 

“So you have to start with the assumption that nobody trusts you, and nobody wants to talk to you because the media has not historically been of any help to these communities,” said Caiola. “We’ve increased the amount of trauma that they’re exposed to vicariously, we have kind of exacerbated stereotypes about these particular neighborhoods.” 

And that was the case for her when she hit the ground in Philly. Complicating things further, she’s also a white person not from the city who hasn’t personally been impacted by gun violence. 

“I was swimming upstream,” Caiola said. 

But that didn’t mean she wasn’t suited to do the job, it just meant she had to put the work in to prove herself, demonstrate her desire to learn and do her part to correct the sins of legacy media. 

Related webinar: Pushing past resistance to better firearms violence reporting

Plus, she had an editor with deep roots in the city who could be her guide. Chris Norris, then the community engagement editor for WHYY, introduced Caiola to a host of community members, including gun violence prevention activists. 

“They’ve got great ideas for solutions. They’re seeing this firsthand. They’re working with young people. And because Norris was introducing me, they were willing to let me into their spaces,” Caiola said.

“And it wasn’t that they trusted me immediately. I still had to earn that trust, but they were at least willing to hear me out.” 

Building a Rolodex 

Meeting those people gained Caiola invitations into their spaces. She went to after-school programs, protests, vigils, neighborhood meetings and police community meetings. 

“I could have gone to those events cold. And I probably would have met someone, but I wouldn’t have known where to go if Chris hadn’t pointed some of these spaces out to me,” Caiola said. 

At some of those events, she’d set up a table with butcher paper and she’d ask people to write down their ideas for solving the gun violence crisis in Philly. 

“I found that people were really excited to talk about that,” Caiola said. “A lot of people hadn’t been asked that question before. So, they had a lot to say and they felt listened to. I also asked questions like, ‘What would you like to see more about in the media around this topic?’ And people said things like, ‘Where do the guns come from?’ or, ‘Why are the parks and recreation centers closed?’ And those all became story ideas.” 

Caiola realizes not everyone has a Chris Norris in their newsroom. But that doesn’t mean they can’t find that person in the community who can introduce them to the right people.While on the gun violence beat, I was able to find people who helped me find sources and identify story ideas. 

“It was just really a fruitful time. And I just built up this Rolodex of more than 150 gun violence sources in Philly,” Caiola said. “Chris introduced me to maybe 12 to 15 people. But each of those people introduced me to 10 more people. The more places I went, the more cards and phone numbers I got.” 

For reporters on this beat, Caiola recommends showing that you care about the issue, even if it’s not your own personal, lived experience. 

“I just always have always approached reporting as a form of active listening and a form of care,” she said. “I would tell people, ‘I don’t live in your neighborhood. I’m still learning about this issue. But I do care about it. And I don’t want to see my neighbors die. And I don’t want to see children losing their friends and family or mothers losing their sons.’”

Keeping in touch 

Another tip Caiola offered is staying in regular contact with these sources, especially outside of needing them for a story. 

Once a month, she’d email that Rolodex and share the stories she produced that month. She’d also ask them for feedback. 

“That created a regular line of communication and it held me accountable. They could also see that I did the things I said I would do,” Caiola said. 

In those emails, she’d also share what she was working on next. 

“I’d say I’m writing about conflict resolution in schools. If you know anybody who’s working on that, please tell me. And yeah, a small fraction of people would get back and say, ‘Oh, you should talk to this guy.’” 

Through exercises like that, Caiola was able to build an extensive network while on the beat, and gained some trust in the process. 

“Over time, I think people did trust me — as much as they can trust any reporter, she said”

Caiola’s clips

Here’s a list of some of Caiola’s reporting, all of which resulted from her listening tour and building her source network: 

‘It’s long overdue’: Gun violence around Philly rec centers makes updates more urgent, residents say During Ramadan, Muslim leaders hope to shield Philly youth from gun violence Nonprofits, schools train teens to settle their own arguments in hopes of preventing gun violence Violence-free zone? House of Umoja looks to 70s-era peacemaking practices to keep teens safe Philadelphia is full of ‘violence interrupter’ initiatives. Can a new faith-based coalition move the needle?