It appears that the NRA may have missed a trick here:

[petronius]

Apply Now: Covering Gun Violence

The Dart Center is offering a two-day workshop for journalists on covering guns and gun violence, April 17-18, in Phoenix, Arizona.

---Snip---

To help journalists and news organizations in the Southwest improve their reporting on guns and gun violence, the Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma at Columbia Journalism School is organizing a two-day regional workshop April 17 and 18, 2015 for reporters, editors, news directors, photographers, producers, and bloggers. The workshop, funded by Everytown for Gun Safety, will offer independent expert briefings and specialized reporting skills training to enhance the practical ability of journalists to report on guns and gun violence knowledgeably, ethically and effectively. The workshop will cover such topics as state and federal gun laws; patterns of gun sales and gun trafficking; national trends and polling; education and prevention initiatives; social, economic and public health impacts; and special populations (e.g. children and youth, women and returning veterans.)

Speakers include national public health and policy experts; researchers and clinicians; award-winning journalists, and prevention advocates and survivors.

The workshop will:

• Serve as a forum for improving journalists’ knowledge of guns and gun violence, and the implications of public policies like background check requirements
  
• Explore new research, reporting ideas and best practices with leading public health and policy experts
  
• Confront challenges — and identify opportunities — that exist for local journalists pursuing these stories with limited resources
  
• Provide practical tools to enable journalists to successfully produce meaningful stories on guns and gun violence.

---Snip---

http://dartcenter.org/content/apply-now-southwest-workshop-on-covering-guns-gun-violence

Of course, the independent experts aren't named, and I know nothing of the DART Center, so the whiff of conflict of interest may be illusory, but I am curious as to the content of the presentation. Any journalism professionals in the southwest looking for a professional development activity?

[hack89]

1. Considering the state of reporting when comes to guns and gun laws

sounds like a good idea. Not necessarily good for the controller side which depends on uneducated voters but at least the debate can be an honest one.

[benEzra]

6. Unfortunately, this workshop is being funded by the gun control lobby.

So I'm sure the gun-404 reporters will come out of it thinking semiautomatic .22's are WMD's and the weapons of choice of criminals and mass murderers, ad nauseaum.

[DonP]

8. Yup, "Funded by a Generous Grant from Everytown for Gun Safety"

I'm sure Bloomberg and Shannon Watts will have representatives that actually know something about firearms there to answer technical questions.

Anybody want to cover a bet that they won't open with the facts on violent crime dropping to the lowest level in 40 years or include any range time? But, it's a free trip for some reporters.

[Duckhunter935]

16. they are so accurate themselves

Nearly 100 school shootings have occurred since the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary only two years ago.

Speakers include national public health and policy experts; researchers and clinicians; award-winning journalists, and prevention advocates and survivors.

I sent an inquiry to Kate at the email address to see if they have a list of the people but am not really expecting a response.

[ManiacJoe]

2. There is still hope if funding is the only part Everytown is involved with.

[petronius]

9. I agree: educated journalists are a benefit to (almost) everyone, and a good

journalism school should have safeguards to avoid allowing donor biases to affect content. But it does raise an eyebrow, and I'm very skeptical that unbiased education is the motivation for Everytown...

[Duckhunter935]

3. I am still curious

what type of gun safety that group is helping with. What kind of gun safety programs have they produced?

Sounds like this is just another way to manipulate gun stories, do not really need it as gun related reporting is already mostly misleading and error filled. They can not even get semi-automatic, fully automatic, machine gun or assault rifle correct. Those is just very basic facts.

[Nuclear Unicorn]

4. Seeing as it is an endowment of the journalism school I'm assuming its function and intent is media.

[Duckhunter935]

5. I hope they push for facts

not bias

[Brickbat]

7. There are several subjects journalists need primers on; guns is one of them.

Military terminology, science and statistics are others.

[ileus]

10. I can hear the "Guns are mean" and "Guns kill people" talking points now.

[petronius]

11. I expect it will be a lot more in depth than that - at the very least, they'll

cover the Journalist's Guide to Firearms Identification...

[ileus]

12. Super extra high capacity killer clipazines bullet holders...will be covered first.

[Duckhunter935]

13. 30 clips in half a second

if I remember correctly

[petronius]

14. That only works in ghost guns with the shoulder thingy, and once all

the Hi-Cap magazines are emptied, it won't work any more...

[Duckhunter935]

15. it is a great thing

those high capacity magazines get all used up and are no good anymore. That's gun safety!

[Duckhunter935]

17. my reply on request for information to the event

My question to her....

"Speakers include national public health and policy experts; researchers and clinicians; award-winning journalists, and prevention advocates and survivors."

Do you have a list of these speakers available?

Her response

Hi *****,
We are still in the early stages of building the program but we will be sharing the speakers involved on our website within the next month.

I hope you'll check back then for the information.

Best
Kate