CJF J-Talk: Covering Indigenous Communities in Canada

In Canada’s new era of truth and reconciliation, what is the state of media coverage of Indigenous affairs? Has coverage shifted from niche media to the mainstream? Is it improving?

The Canadian Journalism Foundation (CJF) explores these questions in an upcoming J-Talk discussion panel, Beyond Missing and Murdered Women: Covering Indigenous Communities, taking place in Toronto on November 3.

Presented partnership with Journalists for Human Rights (JHR) and sponsored by Ryerson University’s School of Journalism, the four-person panel will explore the impact of ground-level changes—the creation of dedicated beats, units, internships and university courses—intended to bring greater awareness to the history and challenges faced by Indigenous communities.

The panel features four speakers:

  • Connie Walker, an investigative reporter with CBC News and a Cree raised on the Okanese First Nation in Saskatchewan;
  • Lenny Carpenter, program manager of the Indigenous Reporters Program for JHR and a member of the Attawapiskat First Nation;
  • Karyn Pugliese, executive director of News and Current Affairs for the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network and a member of the Algonquin First Nation of Pikwàkanagàn;
  • Tanya Talaga, a Toronto Star reporter who worked on its award-winning series on missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls.

The discussion will be moderated by Duncan McCue, host of CBC Radio’s Cross Country Checkup.

Click here for more information at to register for the event.