Journalists from across Saskatchewan will gather in Saskatoon on Wednesday to better understand how Indigenous people are and should be represented in the media.
Reconciliation and the Media is a one day conference devoted to engage reporters and journalists in discussions on topics that factor into Indigenous issues
The conference is hosted by a collection of Indigenous journalists in the province and will explore topics related to residential schools, colonialism and the Indian Act.
Organizer and Indigenous journalist Mervin Brass, Editor of Treaty 4 News, hopes news leaders will take the ideas they learn back to their newsrooms to give all of their colleagues a better understanding of why some of these Indigenous issues happen.
“They need to know the history of those issues and how the impacts are still felt and very relevant today,” said Brass.
While Brass does feel the media has come a long way in representing Indigenous issues over the past couple years, he feels there are still some things that need work.
“We need to spend some more time to figure out the issues and develop relationships with First Nations — their communities, their leaders, their communities,” he said. “This is the first step in relationship building in Saskatchewan.”
The conference is in response to some of the many calls to action from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
Several speakers are scheduled for the event, including TRC Commissioner Dr. Marie Wilson, residential school survivor, Eugene Arcand and Lac La Ronge Indian Band Chief Tammy Cook-Searson.
According to organizers, the conference is in response to the Calls to Action from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission calling for reconciliation between Indigenous communities and the media.