Can’t we all just get along?
In Canada, culture clashes are part of landscape – so it’s no surprise when journalism gets drawn into the dance. This past week, Maclean’s magazine stood accused of fueling Asian stereotypes, not the first time the magazine has been singled out for stereotyping. Meanwhile, a public talk by author and journalist Christie Blatchford collapsed amid cries of racism.
How can journalists avoid an us-versus-them mentality? For immigration beat reporter Lesley Ciarula Taylor, the breakthrough came after she discovered there is no single homogenous Tamil person, and began telling one story at a time. Her account is posted in J-Source’s diversity coverage section, where topics like covering disadvantaged neighbourhoods and how not to cover aboriginal protests are raised and debated. On balance, we’re lucky to report in a land where freedom of expression meets diverse audiences and raises intriguing questions.
In Canada, culture clashes are part of landscape – so it’s no surprise when journalism gets drawn into the dance. This past week, Maclean’s magazine stood accused of fueling Asian stereotypes, not the first time the magazine has been singled out for stereotyping. Meanwhile, a public talk by author and journalist Christie Blatchford collapsed amid cries of racism.
How can journalists avoid an us-versus-them mentality? For immigration beat reporter Lesley Ciarula Taylor, the breakthrough came after she discovered there is no single homogenous Tamil person, and began telling one story at a time. Her account is posted in J-Source’s diversity coverage section, where topics like covering disadvantaged neighbourhoods and how not to cover aboriginal protests are raised and debated. On balance, we’re lucky to report in a land where freedom of expression meets diverse audiences and raises intriguing questions.
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Patricia W. Elliott is a magazine journalist and assistant professor at the School of Journalism, University of Regina. You can visit her at patriciaelliott.ca.