The Secret Indian Handshake. Not.

The Secret Indian Handshake. Not.

I’ve long argued that if we want better journalism in Indigenous communities, that’s a matter of training and education.

Last week, I had the good fortune to present some of the principles from RIIC to my colleagues at CBC, in a talk I called “The Secret Indian Handshake: An Insiders Guide to Reporting in Aboriginal Communities.”

Of course, the title was completely torqued. As readers of the Guide will know, there is no “Secret Indian Handshake” to getting scoops and strong stories in Indian Country. (At least one person at CBC took offense to my using the term “Indian.” That was actually the beginning of the talk: there is no such thing as an “Indian.”) And, as I told my audience, I’m not really an “insider” in any Aboriginal community other than my own – the fact is, I’ve lived off-reserve forever and in BC so long THEY probably don’t consider me an insider either.

But I did share some practical advice with my CBC colleagues for covering Aboriginal communities. I boiled it down to Five Tips. Here’s the abridged version:

(1) “Relax. Nobody is going to bite you”
(A tip I borrowed from Terry Glavin, who posted it in the Teachings section)

(2) “Remember ‘Indian Time.'”
Be prepared if your guest arrives later – or earlier – than expected.

(3) “Ask the NAFNIP question.”
Native? Aboriginal? First Nations? Indigenous People? Ask your guests how theyd like to be referred to.

(4) “Dont get colonial amnesia.”
Include historical context in your piece. If airtime is tight, consider a graphics board for your TV piece or a sidebar on the web.

(5) “Give back.”
Show your appreciation for your guests time by bringing a small gift. Later on, show your consideration by sending a link to the online story.

I got great support on this one-hour session from CBC Training. The talk was videotaped and is now available internally on the Training website.

To me, it’s a good sign – that our media Corporation is willing to put their money where there mouth is when it comes to diversity, and offer the tools we journalists need to tell better stories. I can only hope that other newsrooms follow suit.

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