In June 2013, Journalists for Human Rights (JHR) -- a Canadian media development organization that trains journalists throughout Africa -- launched its first program in Canada. The Northern Ontario Initiative aims to ensure that media coverage of Aboriginal people in Ontario is balanced and contextualized...
In a recent interview I did with SciDev.Net, I argue reciprocity and respect should define the relationship between journalists when working with Indigenous communities throughout the world. Have a listen! Thanks to Kaz Janowski for asking some thoughtful questions. I met him during the 8th World Conference of Science...
Thanks to Cara McKenna of the Langara Journalism Review for giving RIIC a nod - you can see the original article here. Media coverage of Idle No More raises questions about understanding First Nations Story by Cara McKenna “I want to remind you as the media you are...
The World Conference of Science Journalists is going on in Helsinki this week, and I was invited to give a talk on science coverage of Indigenous peoples. I sat on a panel with three talented science journalists: David Dickson, Diran Onifade and Veronique Morin, and...
The challenges of reporting in Indigenous communities are many, but if reporters are transparent, knowledgeable and understand the relationship is reciprocal, stories will happen. In case you missed it, this article, by two of my RIIC students, originally appeared on j-source.ca. The University of British Columbia’s...
When my union, the Canadian Media Guild, asked me to write a brief article about media coverage of Indigenous communities, I was happy to do so. Because I'm always keen to jump on my soapbox, to deliver a sermon or two on how we in...
A new school term begins! To mark my second year teaching a course called Reporting in Indigenous Communities (RIIC) at the UBC School of Journalism, I thought I'd share my conversation this past October with Rhiannon Russell, editor of the Ryerson Review of Journalism. Rhiannon...
RIIC's first #IdleNoMore round-up was for journalists, or other interested readers, wondering what all the fuss is about. This collection of links is for those who want to dig deeper - writings of some oft-quoted Indigenous thinkers and political-types, fact sheets and other helpful stuff....
For journalists coming back from holidays who find themselves thrust into Idle No More coverage, here's a quick round-up of background stories and reading (via @HarshaWalia --- feel free to tweet some more to @RIICNews & the links will be added): [caption id="attachment_819" align="aligncenter" width="1000"] Ottawa...
I started this website with a dream: maybe it could help reporters tell better Indigenous stories. [caption id="attachment_814" align="alignright" width="432"] Chief Theresa Spence addresses media in Ottawa. Credit: Kenneth Jackson, via Twitter[/caption] Just over a year ago (yes, I'm on Indian Time with the anniversary post), I...
