sports-media industry
sports-media industry
sports-media industry
Topic
How does media shape our understanding of Indigenous people, culture, and sport?
Options for Analysis
- Which journalists write about Indigenous athletes and/or Indigenous sport? Are there some journalists who produce more than others? What are their dominant modes of representation?
- Are these journalists Indigenous? Does the cultural background of the author matter? Why?
- Which media produce the most stories about Indigenous athletes in Canada? Create a top 10 list. Which ones are mainstream commercial media? Which ones are owned by the same company? Which ones are Indigenous-owned? Which media is most influential in shaping public perceptions about Indigenous people, culture, and sport?
- Returning to your top 10 list, pick one source and examine how it represents Indigenous athletes. How do those representations fit with the source's overall reporting on Indigenous people? Are they generally more 'positive'? Do they offer any political perspective on being Indigenous in Canada? If not, why not? What effect does this have on the overall media message being conveyed by that source?
Consider
- What 'type' of media are you using to get information about Indigenous sport? Consider each source carefully, including the nature of the source (print, TV, podcast, etc.), how it's funded (commercial, government, research, personal, etc.), and it's purpose (information, interpretation, entertainment, activism, etc.).
- Do you know how these stories are produced? This would include detailed knowledge about the actual production process. Why is it important to know how media about Indigenous sport is produced?