Relframing Aboriginal Social Policy Issues in the News: Old Stereotypes and New Opportunities Robert Harding B.A. (Hons.), University of Manitoba, 1982 B.S.W., University of Manitoba, 1985 M.S.W., McGill University, 1986 THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Under Special Arrangements Program In the Faculty of Applied Sciences O Robert Harding 2007 SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY Spring 2007 All rights reserved. This work may not be reproduced in whole or in part, by photocopy or other means, without permission of the author. APPROVAL Name: Robert Leonard Harding Degree: Doctor of Philosophy Title of Thesis: Refframing Aboriginal Social Policy Issues in the News: Old Stereotypes and New Opportunities Examining Committee: Dr. Jonathan C. Driver, Chair Dr. Robert Anderson, Senior Supervisor Professor, Communication Dr. Robert A. Hackett, Supervisor Professor, Communication Dr. Eldon Carlyle Yellowhorn, Supervisor Assistant Professor, Archaeology Dr. Shane Gunster, Examiner Assistant Professor, Communication Dr. Richard Vedan, External Examiner Associate Professor, Social Work & Family Studies University of British Columbia Date Approved: ABSTRACT This dissertation examines representations of Aboriginal people and issues in the news media in historical times (1 862-7) as well as in the modem era (1 99 1-2003). Previous studies - most notably the review of Aboriginal people and the media conducted by the 1996 Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples (RCAP) - have found evidence of persistent patterns of racism and ethnocentrism in all forms of public discourse. Techniques of content analysis and critical discourse analysis are applied to news stories about treaty negotiations and Aboriginal child welfare issues appearing in national newspapers, major daily newspapers, community newspapers as well as Aboriginal publications. The findings of this research indicate that news reports about Aboriginal issues display ethnocentrism and stereotyping and utilize dominant news frames that contain and limit Aboriginal voices. Furthermore, the press covers critical issues, which have long historical antecedents that are little understood or known by the public, in a thoroughly de-contextualized fashion. While Aboriginal issues tend to be reported in ways that support the status quo, this reportage is not monolithic. Due to a variety of factors that influence the production of the news, including journalistic imperatives emphasizing "balance" and "objectivity," even news coverage of Aboriginal issues that is steeped in dominance must reiterate contradictions inherent in relations between mainstream Canadian society and Aboriginal people. This affords opportunities for Aboriginal people and others to foster new public discourses that challenge hegemonic values. As well, the public has demonstrated an ability, under certain conditions, to resist racist and stereotypical interpretations of events. Finally, voices of Aboriginal people are increasingly included in public discourse and most Aboriginal organizations have communications or media relations branches which systematically attempt to influence reporting on Aboriginal issues and counteract "bias" in the press. This research furnishes a media resource not only for Aboriginal people, but for anyone concerned with social justice, in analyzing the news and challenging dominant representations of Aboriginal people and issues. Key Words: Aboriginal people, news frames, media, stereotypes, treaties, Aboriginal child welfare, representation, news discourse, Aboriginal self-governance, critical discourse analysis and content analysis. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank my supervisory committee starting with my senior supervisor, Bob Anderson, for his patience, guidance, unflagging support, and for inviting me to be part of his beautiful vision for Burnaby Mountain College; Bob Hackett for his meticulous and constructive criticism and for challenging me to go to the next level; and Eldon Yellowhorn for being a true friend and an inspiring mentor. Also, I am grateful to Paige Raibmon who, before her departure to the University of British Columbia, taught me so much in two directed studies. The papers I wrote for her led to the publication of an article in Discourse and Sociew, which forms the basis of Chapter 3. I would also like to thank Jon Driver and the office of the Dean of Graduate Studies for their consistent support. I am particularly indebted to Vivian Blaker for being trouble-shooter extraordinaire and master of all things related to on-line registration. As well, many thanks to those colleagues at the University College of the Fraser Valley who have supported me during this most arduous of journeys, especially Yvon Dandurand, Dean of Research and Graduate Studies, and my friend Curtis Magnuson. Thanks also to my superb research assistants, Elena Toews and Jeff Wood, who took time out from their studies in the Bachelor of Social Work program to assist with reliability tests in Chapter 2. I am most grateful to Steven Point, Ernie Crey, Taiaiaike Alfred and Dan Ludeman for sharing their insights into the representation of Aboriginal people and their thought-provoking ideas for change. I also owe debts of gratitude to everyone else who has lent their support along the way, including Tero and Kaisu Mustonen, Derek Simons, Kathleen Cross and Ethel Gardner. Last, but not least, I would like to thank my partner Anna McMurtry for thoroughly proofreading my work, putting her own career aspirations on hold and generally putting up with my chronic absenteeism from family life. And to my son Declan, thank you for simply being yourself and for not judging me too harshly for not being around as much as both of us would have liked. TABLE OF CONTENTS .. APPROVAL ...................................................................................................................... 11 ... ABSTRACT ...................................................................................................................... IU ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................. v .. TABLE OF CONTENTS ............................................................................................... VII LIST OF ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS ........................................................ x LIST OF TABLES ........................................................................................................... xi CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION .................................................................................... 1 . What this Dissertation is About .......................................................................................1 Setting the Stage ..............................................................................................................2 Where I'm Coming from and Where this Research is Going ..........................................4 Data and Methodological Highlights ............................................................................17 Key Concepts .............................................................................................................26 Chapter Progression ......................................................................................................29 CHAPTER 2: THE MEDIA. ABORIGINAL PEOPLE AND COMMON SENSE .............................................................................................................................. 33 Introduction ...................................................................................................................33 Recent Studies of Aboriginal Representation in the News ...........................................35 News and Aboriginal People in History ........................................................................38 Mapping Patterns. Themes and Trends in News Coverage ...........................................42 Selected Findings ..........................................................................................................43 Stereotyping and the Construction of Common Sense ..................................................49 Chapter Summary ..........................................................................................................59 CHAPTER 3: HISTORICAL REPRESENTATIONS OF ABORIGINAL PEOPLE ...........................................................................................................................61 Introduction ...................................................................................................................61 Textual Analysis of Four Historical Flashpoints ...........................................................61 The Opening of BC's First "Residential" School in Mission in 1863 ...........................62 1866 Colonial Amendment to Deny Aboriginal People the Right to Pre-empt Land ..............................................................................................................71 1991 BC Supreme Court Decision in the Delgarnuukw vs . The Queen Case ............... 79 Community Panel's Report on Aboriginal Child Welfare in BC (1992) ....................... 91 Historical Continuities and Discontinuities in the Framing of Aboriginal Issues ......... 96 Chapter Summary ........................................................................................................112 CHAPTER 4: PRODUCTION OF MEANING ABOUT ABORIGINAL ISSUES IN THE NEWS ..............................................................................................