As the U.S. and its influence on Canada reverse progress made on diversity, equity, inclusion and race, the Reporting in Black Communities project will equip journalists with comprehensive, community-informed tools to create systemic, long-term change to strengthen and educate generations of journalists and Black communities to come
This research note discusses the early findings of Phase 1 of the Reporting in Black Communities project. Situated in the Black Emancipatory Action Research approach, a liberation methodology and framework, Phase 1 consisted of focus groups with 39 Black news consumers across Toronto, Halifax, Montreal, and Edmonton to understand their perceptions and experiences with journalistic coverage. This note shares findings demonstrating that Black news consumers (1) overwhelmingly still see stereotypes of Black people in Canadian journalism, (2) continue to see a lack of diversity in coverage of Black communities, summarized as “bad or best” stories about crime or exceptionalism, (3) have not seen lasting changes in reporting following the “racial reckoning” of 2020, and (4) have experienced social, economic, community and health impacts as a result of journalists’ coverage of Black communities. This research note describes preliminary findings, which will inform the creation of an evidence-based, community-informed resource to improve and inform reporting on Black communities, subsequently mitigating the harm and mistrust the Canadian journalism industry has perpetuated.
Read the full article in the Fall 2025 issue of Facts and Frictions
Facts and Frictions is published by J-Schools Canada, Canada’s national association for post-secondary journalism research and education. All content is open access and available via J-Source.