Media Report_MyahCrough

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1 MMIWG Media Report: Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls Myah Crough CINT 922 Toronto Metropolitan University Bonnie Johnston October 31, 2023

2 MMIWG Introduction of Issue and Rationale For decades, missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls (MMIWG) has been a deeply troubling and pervasive issue that has caused great suffering to Indigenous communities across North America. This reflects a deeper issue rooted in the crisis of discrimination and violence against Indigenous peoples, but more specifically targeted at women and girls. This issue was chosen to be the core focus due to the need to shed light on the systemic racism, colonialism, and gender-based violence, that Indigenous communities face, and the deeply rooted trauma that still carries to this day. The media plays a pivotal role in influencing and shaping the opinions of the public and governments. This is why the topic of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls is crucial to explore in the ways it is portrayed in media and what the implications are of these representations. Throughout this paper a media article called “Indigenous women, girls kills at rate six times higher than non-Indigenous: StatCan report” (The Canadian Press, 2023), looking at how it is presented, what theories and concepts relate to the article, and what the implications of the article really are, all while relating back to content learned and analyzed from various literature. Content The newspaper article Indigenous women, girls killed at rate six times higher than non- Indigenous: StatCan report (The Canadian Press, 2023), is the media coverage on the MMIWG issue. Looking at the issue women and girls have been grossly underrepresented in the mainstream media. When individuals come across this type of media often it is a variation of truth as the depth and accuracy of reporting can be skewed, sensationalized, and framed as a problem that only affects those within the Indigenous communities.

3 MMIWG MMIWG within the form of media has differing opinions on the public and society. How the media portrays information with such far-reaching implications, it only makes matters worse and perpetuates the invisibility of Indigenous women and girls and promotes these stereotypes further. If the media portrays information empathetically and respectfully, individuals can learn, grow, and become more compassionate. When looking at this specific article it is clear that the information provided about MMIWG raises many questions. How can we ensure that the media pieces are respectful, responsible and an accurate representation of Indigenous women and girls? What input do Indigenous individuals themselves provide in terms of media reports? How do Indigenous people/communities perceive media representation, and how do they respond to these situations? These are just some personal responses to the media article provided in this specific paper. Theoretical Ideas The issue of MMIWG is something that many people think is of the past, however in today’s age we still often hear about this and the impact it leaves on Indigenous communities. Looking at course readings, we can recall that they are essential to analyzing the media's portrayal of MMIWG. When we think about Indigenous Worldviews, it empahsizes the importance of interconnectedness, respect for nature, and cultural/community values. Indigenous Worldviews is the concept that all things are connected and related (WC Nativenews, 2014), and the importance of community and respect for all life. When thinking about this news article it is important that when individuals share things about MMIWG they recognize the broader interconnected issues of Eurocentric worldviews. This relates to the article as we notice that it takes a village and we need to shift our thinking as to why and how this happened. Indigenous Worldviews focus on spiritual, mental, emotional, and physical wellbeing.

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4 MMIWG The second topic related to course content is colonialism and power dynamics. We notice through the media representations of MMIWG, it is the lens of helping to unveil the power dynamics, including the marginalization of Indigenous voices and truths, which is done through a lens of colonialism (St. John et al, 2016). This supports us in becoming aware that colonialism can impact and influence media biases, which does not allow for truth and reconciliation for Indigenous people as a whole and as individuals. Stereotyping and biases are what come up next in terms of theoretical ideas from the course content, which really to me links to structural social work. These concepts work to understand the “social problems as originating from a particular liberal or neo-conservative societal context” (Baskin, 2022 p. 68 para. 2), this can support this paper as the media can then work from an anti-oppressive framework. It can also support the workers in media to stop blaming the individuals involved but rather to look at what barriers they are or have been faced with. Which can change the way the stereotypes and biases about MMIWG have been said to be over many years. When the media portrays MMIWG as a ‘their fault’ lens and not acknowledge the diversity and strength the communities have it can cause a lot of harm. Critical Analysis This media representation of MMIWG, allows us to analyze the way they were portrayed at a rate six times higher than non-Indigenous people. Through this article (Passafiume, 2023), there is statistical evidence from StatCan reports, indicating the rate of which violence occurs against Indigenous women and girls. Based on this quantitative data one can say this is an accurate representation, as this is a highly regarded stats about Canada. Although it is not stated how Indigenous peoples feel in how they are portrayed from this media report many would argue that it would have a great impact on Indigenous communities

5 MMIWG and how other non-Indigenous people see them, as there was negative connotation about certain situations within the statistics. Although some may argue that this is a negative portrayal of Indigenous people, all people in the world must understand what the numbers are and just how much injustice there is towards the Indigenous communities in terms of MMIWG. It begins to shed light on how it could get like this, why is it like this, and what can we do as a society to break these barriers and create a place where all are safe, there is justice served and voices are heard. One can infer that from this news piece, Indigenous people feel a sense of injustice, frustration and just a pure lack of empathy over the years concerning MMIWG. Throughout the article (Passafiume, 2023), is a singular perspective focused more on the stats/data of this specific group of individuals. There are not any other viewpoints. StatCan is what the article is based on and there are no explicit comments other than the Crown-Indigenous Relation Minister Gary Anandasangarr and others who go on to make promises. These people are in the heart of the issues/challenges that Indigenous peoples face and what changes are going to be made moving forward. Conclusion In conclusion, there is a need to continue to educate, spread awareness and advocate for the justice and rights of Indigenous peoples, and specifically in this context of MMIWG, as this is still happening today. By using these concepts, we can better understand and support the issue's complexities and work toward how as a society we can portray MMIWG more equitably and respectfully. We need everyone to come together, governments, policymakers, and various organizations to support and address the systemic issues that led to MMIWG. With this media coverage can be more influential in creating change and pushing towards a life of justice, love, and peace.

6 MMIWG References Baskin, C. (2022). Strong helpers’ teachings: The value of indigenous knowledges in the helping professions (3rd ed.). Canadian Scholars. Passafiume, A. (2023). Indigenous women, girls killed at rate six times higher than non ... National Post. https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/indigenous-women-girls- killed-at-rate-six-times-higher-than-non-indigenous-statcan-report St. John, M., O'Connor, J., Hryszkiewicz, J. R., Belcourt, S., McMahon, R., Palmater, P. D., . . Williams, D. (Directors). (2016). Colonization Road [Film]. Decolonization Road Productions Inc. WC Nativenews. (2014). The Indigenous World View vs. Western World View . YouTube . https://youtu.be/hsh-NcZyuiI?si=dWuj_kF2PsSqE2ib .

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