Lee-Ann Lichtenberger

  Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences | Bachelor Global Studies

Historical Grievances in the Headlines: Analysing US Newspaper Portrayals of Canada’s Indigenous Residential School Discussions (2015-2021)

Lee-Ann's elevator pitch
How do media reflect societal discussions on reconciliation and historical accountability in countries like Canada and the United States, where residential schools tasked with “assimilating” Indigenous children in the 19th and 20th centuries caused ongoing historical harms? 
This study examined how US mainstream and Indigenous newspapers framed Canada's  discussions on this topic. While the findings reflected important nuances, the research revealed an important tension: 
mainstream media often privileged more narrow understandings of Indigenous-settler reconciliation, centering on the role of national institutions, whereas Indigenous outlets tended to situate reconciliation in the wider context of settler-colonial history and Indigenous rights. The study underlines the media's crucial role in influencing how people understand historical grievances, even beyond borders.