Page - 144 - in Media – Migration – Integration - European and North American Perspectives

Augie Fleras | Ethnic and Aboriginal Media in Canada 144 To say that minority women and men are mistreated by mainstream newsmedia is true enough (Mahtani 2002; Henry and Tator 2006; Jiwani 2006). Multicultural minorities and aboriginal peoples remain overrepresented in areas that don’t count (‘crime’or ‘entertainment’), underrepresented in areas that do (‘political or economic success’), and misrepresented along all points in between because of a pro-white (Eurocentric) bias (Fleras and Kunz 2001). They continue to be rendered invisible except in contexts of crisis, negativity, or conflict, in the process reinforcing their status as troublesome constituents for removal or control. To circumvent or neutralize the effects of this systemically biasing coverage, ethnic (or ‘racialized’) minorities and aboriginal peoples have turned to alternative media institutions. In privileging minority experiences, identities, and priorities, ethnic and aboriginal media have proliferated accordingly, including: (1) ethnic and aboriginal print (2) ethnic and aboriginal broadcasting, and the (3) inclusion within mainstream newsmedia. Reaction has varied as well: For some, their expansion is commensurate with Canada’s multicultural commitments; for others, aboriginal and ethnic media are essentially manipulative advocates for special interest groups; for yet others, they are regressive for disrupting immigrant integration; and for still others, ethnic and aboriginal media are more complex and nuanced than simplistic bifurcation into either good or bad. Integration or separatist? Insular or isolationist? Inclusive or exclusive? Bonding or divisive? Buffer or barrier? Bridges or roadblocks? Inreach or outreach? Progressive or regressive? Society-building or society-bashing? Debates over aboriginal and ethnic media clearly resonate with overtones of ambiguity, with few signs of subsiding, and these controversies are part of a broader project around the contested role of media institutions in advancing the integration of migrants and minorities (Geißler 2005; Geißler/Pöttker 2005). In keeping with the conference theme, namely, the role of media in integrating migrants with respect to what can be done, what should be avoided, and what we can learn from each other, this paper explores the promises and perils of Canada’s ethnic and aboriginal media as well as their politics and paradoxes. The paper argues that aboriginal and ethnic media constitute an integrative component of an inclusive Canada-building project: First, by advancing Canada’s democratic discourses beyond what is normally conveyed by mainstream newsmedia. Second, by improving the sectoral interests of multicultural minorities and aboriginal peoples via alternative media discourses (Williamson and DeSouza 2006). Third, by securing crossover points for promoting intercultural awareness and exchanges. As social capital, ethnic media not only foster community bonding, but also constitute a bridging device for enhancing a two way process of integration (“you adjust, we adapt/we adjust, you adapt”). To the extent that aboriginal