Guns: An American conversation

A coalition of American newsrooms owned by Advance Local launched "Guns: An American Conversation" with the journalism organization Spaceship Media. The project convened people on opposite sides of the social and political spectrum to engage in a dialogue around the polarizing topic of guns.

The project began with an in-person workshop for 21 participants in Washington, D.C., on March 24 and 25, at the Newseum. The event was led by facilitators from Essential Partners, skilled at bringing together people across conflicting points of view.

The project expanded the following week to a total 150 people who participated in a monthlong moderated Facebook group. Other partners included Time magazine and the Newseum. Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Thomas French and Pulitzer finalists Kelley Benham French and Ben Montgomery followed the conversation and interviewed key participants for this story.

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