Books, media and analysis

Here you’ll find a collection of historical and contemporary news and magazine articles, books, podcasts and other media about reporting Indigenous stories. Let us know what we’ve missed by emailing us at and we will add it to our list.

Seeing Red: A History of Natives in Canadian Newspapers

By Mark Cronlund Anderson and Carmen L. Robertson

A study of how Canadian newspapers have portrayed and damaged Indigenous people since 1869. “The reasoning that engendered the creation of the treaty system and residential schools was, for their duration, also the lingua franca of mainstream newspapers. In general it avers that Aboriginals, when compared to white Canadians, exemplify three essentialized sets of characteristics — depravity, innate inferiority, and a stubborn resistance to progress.”

Imaginary Indian

By Daniel Francis

A history of the “Indian” image portrayed in Canadian art, current events and news, and the impact those stereotypes have had. “This is not a book about Native people; it is the story of the images projected upon Native people ― and the desperate uses to which they are put.” — From the author’s website.

The Truth About Stories

By Thomas King

A look at how storytelling shapes our perception of people and perpetuates racism. “What is revealed in this graceful, even seductive book of essays about storytelling by the esteemed Cherokee novelist, radio personality, university professor, and Canadian émigré is that what is as important as the stories we tell about the world are the ways in which we interpret those stories.” — World Literature in Review.

CANADALAND’s Indigenous Media Roundtable

This media panel is composed of Indigenous podcasters and journalists. It examines how Indigenous stories have been told in the past, how they are being told now and what the media could do better in the future. It also serves as a review of existing independent Indigenous media sources. The podcast includes honest reflection on challenges faced by experienced journalists.

Silenced No More (Ryerson Review of Journalism)

By Erin Sylvester

This piece highlights a challenge mentioned by Trina Roache, a Mi’kmaq journalist and the Halifax correspondent for the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN) National News: “Roache tries to edit TV reports with longer clips and removes her voice-overs to let sources tell the story. But it’s hard to do well within the constraints of a newscast, and it takes longer than a traditional format with shorter clips. She and other Indigenous journalists say including context (like complex treaty rights or colonial histories) is difficult in short news reports. Online pieces allow for richer storytelling and for posting full interviews, but APTN lacks the necessary resources to prioritize and build its web presence.”