| The Aboriginal population is the fastest growing segment of the Canadian population. According to the 2001 census, there are 976,305 Aboriginal people in Canada. Most of those, almost 609,000, are First Nations, 292,305 are Metis and the rest are Inuit. In Saskatchewan, Aboriginal people made up 13.52 percent of the population in 2001 and if current trends continue it is anticipated that the Aboriginal population will grow to 33 percent by 2045.;This thesis critically examines the power of the media, how the mainstream media covers minority issues with a particular focus on First Nation issues; what role First Nations journalists play in that coverage and to what degree the coverage is negotiated or dictated. While a small but growing body of literature exists regarding the mainstream media and Aboriginal issues, most of the discourse in this area comes together with an examination of other minorities.;In particular the thesis will examine the coverage of Aboriginal issues, focusing on the observations of six Aboriginal journalists in Saskatchewan. This approach provides a voice to perceptions that thus far have been limited and sparse and intersects those perceptions with the academic discourse surrounding the issue. The views of the journalists will be used to buttress existing literature on mass media and minorities issues.;These journalists agree on many things: that the coverage of Aboriginal issues in the mainstream media is lacking and that it is improving, they believe that more Aboriginal journalists and gatekeepers are needed in the media, and they believe that other reporters and gatekeepers require more education regarding Aboriginal issues in order to improve coverage.;However, it is generally accepted that First Nations people and issues are not well understood by the general public. Since many non-First Nations people have little day to day contact with First Nations people, most of what they do know about Aboriginal issues and people comes through the mainstream media. Therefore, if people have misunderstandings the media is at the very least partially to blame. We live in a society that is strongly influenced by an environment in which the mass media plays a crucial and often decisive role in the enhancement or the destruction of the images of "other" peoples. |
