Healthcare Central

  • Gun violence falls in 2025, but future trends remain uncertain

    Shootings in major U.S. cities declined in 2025, according to the latest available preliminary data from the Council on Criminal Justice, extending a drop in gun violence that began after a pandemic-era peak in 2021. While official national figures won’t be available for months — the FBI typically releases them later in the year —…

  • How to get your hands on good violent crime data

    It’s a regular struggle on the gun violence beat to find good data that’s up-to-date and comprehensive — a reality we frequently cover on this page.  A recent webinar from Harvard’s Shorenstein Center laid out several useful tips and sources for good gun violence data.  The webinar, “Digging into crime data to inform news coverage…

  • What to know before covering the next mass shooting 

    Mass shootings are the most public and devastating acts of firearm violence. They also tend to capture the most attention, outrage and extensive news coverage, despite making up a very small percentage of overall gun deaths. Because mass shootings are a relatively new phenomenon in this century, there’s no official or standard definition for a…

  • How to cover the link between housing access and gun violence

    Housing access and risk of gun violence are closely connected.  Among the studies showing the connection is a recent analysis from the University of Chicago, which found a link between evictions and shootings. Studies have also drawn a link between vacant homes and elevated gun violence.  This connection is a key part of understanding gun…

  • How to avoid bias when covering ICE shootings

    As President Donald Trump’s aggressive immigration campaign sweeps across the country, gun violence tends to follow, according to reporting by The Trace.  That violence came to a head in January when two U.S. citizens were fatally shot in the streets of Minneapolis during “Operation Metro Surge,” a mobilization of the federal agencies Immigration and Customs…

  • Political violence in the US is rising: What health reporters should watch

    Political violence and terrorism plots have increased in recent years in the United States, even as overall gun violence has declined since its pandemic-era peak, according to researchers who track extremist activity. Michael Jensen, now director of research at the Polarization & Extremism Research & Innovation Lab (PERIL) at American University, said last year that…

  • Social media perpetuates, worsens youth gun violence, report says

    Social media plays an outsized role in shootings impacting young people, a recent report shows.  Researchers at the University of Virginia conducted dozens of interviews with children and adults to better understand how gun violence impacts Virginians and explore the causes of youth and community gun violence in the state.  Their findings, published in November,…

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