Colonial Representations of Indigenous Peoples in Canadian News Media and Beyond: The Case of Devon Freeman

The way in which Canadian news media has framed and represented Indigenous peoples has been a longstanding and problematic issue for many years. Representation of Indigenous peoples matters because it reflects the issue of the (re-)production of stereotypes and stigmas that remain deeply embedded within present-day Canadian news media. Colonial ideologies impact the way which Indigenous peoples are viewed, treated, and understood in society. This research will demonstrate how the colonial ideologies about Indigenous peoples that continue to circulate within news media extend beyond it, permeating social structures such as the justice system and child welfare system, and their policies. This research will use the case of Devon Freeman, a young Indigenous person whose death has been covered by a number of Canadian news media outlets. I employ the method of a critical discourse analysis (CDA) to investigate how Canadian news media representations might produce and re-produce stereotypes and stigmas of Indigenous peoples. I extended my analyses of the colonial ideologies that are uncovered in the writing of the news articles and explore how these ideologies are also rooted in the texts of policy that inform the child welfare system. My extended analyses of the colonial ideologies also reveals how the functioning of social structures and systems such as the child welfare system and justice system are impacted by colonial ways of thinking and acting. By doing so, I demonstrate that there is indeed a larger impact that Canadian news media has that goes beyond just the scope of media landscapes. My research demonstrates how colonial ideologies are networked across various social structures and systems and how this impacts Indigenous peoples lives. Devon Freeman’s case is connected with the child welfare system and justice system in Canada. There is evidence of police mishandling of his case in the news articles which speaks to the issues that exist within the justice system. The jury recommendations from his case also strongly speak to the justice system and child welfare system that highlight the networking of colonial ideologies based of the types of recommendations that are made. Devon Freeman’s case is strong evidence that issues of racism and stereotypes of Indigenous peoples are ingrained in colonial ideologies and that they circulate beyond media. The datasets of this study include the news media companies which have covered the recent high-profile case and other texts, including child welfare recommendations and justice system documents. News companies such as National Post and Toronto Sun play a key role in this research as they offer insights that highlight the political bias of so-called “right leaning”, conservative news media companies and the role they have in (re)producing stereotypes and stigmas of Indigenous peoples. Implications of this research include contributing to the scholarly discourse of race and representation within media. However, colonial ideologies continue to circulate beyond the media, across various social structures and have devasting impacts amongst the Indigenous population within Canada. This is significant because there are implications such as policy development that have an impact on all Indigenous peoples across Canady every day. Much of the policy and social practices that exist in present-day are informed by colonial ideologies which oppress and further marginalize Indigenous peoples in Canada. Issues such as unsafe and inadequate water supply is another example of the many issues that exist amongst Indigenous people that are closely linked with policies and social practices that are influenced through colonial ideologies. What is represented in the media is informed by and shapes what happens in reality; this is what I argue is the “networking” of colonial ideologies. My research demonstrates how colonial ideologies are networked across systems by tracing them through using the case of Devon Freeman as an example. There is a need for continued education and action against the social injustice of Indigenous peoples being regarded as unworthy by the systems at play. There is also an urgent need to eradicate the issue of not just the networking of colonial ideologies, but the existence of colonial ideologs within Canadian society. Keywords: Indigenous peoples, colonial ideologies, discourses, racism, stereotypes, stigmas, news media, child welfare, justice system, policy, Canadian