The Trace was founded a year and a half ago with the mission of telling the story of gun violence in the United States. We are devoted to shining light on the massive human cost of an epidemic that leaves more than 100,000 victims dead or injured each year; describing the financial toll it exacts on communities and taxpayers; and exposing the tactics of the lobbyists pushing firearms into ever more public spaces and American institutions. But while we are the only newsroom devoted full-time to covering this beat, we are not the only journalists who report on this issue. We consistently learn from the efforts of local and national reporters around the U.S. who show willingness to engage deeply with a subject that at times seems intractable. Here, a list of the gun violence reporting that stuck with us most in 2016. We hope you’ll make time for these revelatory stories in your year-end reading.
Miles was with The Trace from its founding in 2015 to 2023, as news editor, special projects editor, and deputy editor. Under his leadership, The Trace completed complex special projects such as Off Target, co-reported with USA TODAY and republished by more than 100 local news organizations; Missing Pieces, a collaboration with several partners, including local NBC affiliates, that made data on stolen and recovered guns available to local journalists and the public; and Shot and Forgotten, a multimedia collaboration on survivors of gun violence, which included guidance for journalists on how to cover gunshot victims’ stories with empathy and sensitivity. Miles served as The Trace’s de facto art department, recruiting illustrators and photographers and working with digital design firms to create custom layouts and user experiences as needed. Miles previously worked at Eight by Eight, TIME, and Fast Company. He was a 2020 recipient of the American Society of Magazine Editors NEXT Awards, honoring transformative magazine journalists under 30.
