Summit On Reducing Gun Violence in America: A Model for Reaching Media and Policy Makers

Background:  Weeks after the mass shooting in Newtown, CT, Johns Hopkins University brought together more than 20 global leaders in gun policy for the Summit on Reducing Gun Violence in America. The purpose was to give experts in gun policy the opportunity to summarize research and make recommendations on how to reduce gun violence. These recommendations were then communicated directly to the media, policy makers and other key audiences through a strategic communications outreach campaign.

Program background:  The Summit was held January 14^th- 15^thin Baltimore, and featured presentations on a range of gun policy topics. Comprehensive outreach, media relations, and e-communications plans were developed to ensure the Summit proceedings and outcomes reached key audiences. The Summit drew over 450 participants and 22 on-site media outlets, and was also webcast and broadcasted by C-SPAN.  Summit contributors met immediately after the Summit to distill the best research and data into a set of policy recommendations, which were announced at a press conference. A copy of the recommendations was sent to all Congressional offices and key officials in the Obama administration. Following the Summit, two additional announcements garnered widespread attention and advanced the Summit goals:  On January 25^th, the Johns Hopkins Press published Reducing Gun Violence in America: Informing Policy with Evidence and Analysis, a book that summarizes the Summit research and recommendations. Copies were distributed to members of Congress, other key policy makers, and the media. On January 28^th, the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) published the results of a public opinion survey conducted by Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Policy and Research faculty on U.S. support for policies to curb gun violence. The survey findings were communicated to media and other key audiences via traditional media relations and social media. 

Evaluation Methods and Results:  Traditional Media: In the days following the Summit, over 100 original stories were published in international, national and local outlets. The Summit also brought increased exposure and recognition to the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Policy and Research. Since the Summit, close to 500 media requests have been documented, affording us the ability to drive and influence coverage. Policy:  Johns Hopkins faculty completed requests to provide written and oral testimony before U.S. Senate and House Committees debating gun policies, in addition to state-level requests. At least two pieces of legislation were put forth at the Federal level as a result of policy makers reading Reducing Gun Violence in America: Informing Policy with Evidence and Analysis. Social Media: The Summit hashtag #JHUGUNPOLICY reached 800K Twitter accounts and trended internationally during the Summit. This yielded 32 million+ impressions.

Conclusions: The outcomes of the Summit on Reducing Gun Violence in America were effectively translated to influence top-tier media coverage on gun policy and inform state and federal policies.

Implications for research and/or practice:  Bringing together experts on a specific health topic to distill information and then communicating their recommendations widely via traditional and new media to journalists and those in positions to change policy and practice based on the recommendations is an effective model of health communications.