StandingSenateCommitteeonTransport andCommunicationsTheSenateof CanadaOttawa, OntarioCanada, K1A0A4 November 27, 2024 Re: Local servicesprovidedbyCBC/Radio-Canada Dear HonourableSenators, Onbehalf of theDiversityInstituteat TorontoMetropolitanUniversity, pleaseaccept thissubmissionofresearchtosupport your considerationof theservicesprovidedbyCBC/RadioCanada.

Introduction Foundedin1999, theDiversityInstitute(DI) ispart of theTedRogersSchool of Management at TorontoMetropolitanUniversityand, withover 100full-timeresearchersandstaff, leadsseveral largeprojectsaimedat promotingtheparticipationandadvancement of equitydeserving includingwomen, Blackandracializedpeople, Indigenouspeople, 2SLGBTQ+people, andpersonswithdisabilities. Weknowthatlargesocietal forcesincludinggovernment policiesandmediahavesignificant influenceonCanadiancultureincludingassumptions, biasesandstereotypes.

Themedia, for example, shapesour notionsofwhocanbealeader, anengineer, anentrepreneur or acarpenter. It affectsour assumptionsaboutpeoplebasedongender, race, andother factors. It canenlightenor distort our history, our valuesandour future. Thisiswell understoodintheregulationsunderpinning, for example, equityandhumanrightsinfederallyregulatedindustriesaswell asbroadcastingregulations. It isimportant toensurethatthemediarepresentationsareaccurate, fair, andrespectful tofoster anequitablemedialandscapethatreflectsCanada’sdiversecommunities.

WiththisunderstandingweencouragetheCommitteetoconsider thefar-reachingimplicationsof thegovernment’spoliciesrelatedtonewsmedia. Our researchhasshownthat womenandracializedpeoplearelesslikelytobeframedasleadersorexpertsandarelesslikelytoholdnewshost or anchor positions. A2016study 1 demonstratedthatwomenarelesslikelytobeportrayedpositivelyor inleadership/expert positionsandaremoreoftenrepresentedasvictims. Theyarelesslikelytoappear onscreenandaremorelikelytobereferredtooff-screen, paraphrasedandcitedrather thanspeakingfor themselves.

Asubsequent 2019study 2 showedthat bothwomenandracializedminoritiesarefoundtoremainunderrepresented, with 2 Cukier, W., Jackson, S., &Gagnon, S. (2019). Therepresentationof womenandracializedminoritiesasexpertsourceson-air inCanadianpublicaffairstelevision. CanadianJournal of Communication, 44(1), 25-47. 1 Cukier, W., Jackson, S., Elmi, M. A., Roach, E., &Cyr, D. (2016). Representingwomen?LeadershiprolesandwomeninCanadianbroadcast news. Gender inManagement: AnInternational Journal, 31(5/6), 374-395.

racializedminoritywomenbeingparticularlydisadvantaged. Moreover, bothof thesegroupstendtobeselectivelydrawnuponbythemediatocomment on“soft” stories, whilebeinggenerallyexcludedfromthediscussionof other “harder” topics. Theconsequencesof theseobservedtrendsaremany. Not onlydotheyprompt alesser degreeof diversityinperspectivesand, thus, harmthequalityof publicdiscoursebut theyalsoperpetuatetheideathat individualsbelongingtothesegroupsdonot possessworthwhileinsightsintoproblemsfacingthenation.

Wehaveworkedwithorganizationsacrosssectors, includingprint mediaandbroadcastersonstrategiestoadvanceequity, diversityandinclusionwithintheir ranks. Our Diversity&InclusionPlaybookincludesover 700best practicesthat organizationscanadapt andadopt intheirorganizations. TheDI hasdevelopedcustomizedtoolsandstrategiesfor dozensof organizations,includingStarbucks, RogersCommunications, TDFinancial, TorontoRegional Real EstateBoard(TRREB), theCityof Markham. Throughthisexperience, andour decadesof research, weknowtheimportanceof organizationshavingeffectiveEDI strategiestokeeppaceinarapidlychangingenvironment.

NewsMediaResearch Our workonthemediahasincludedprojectsfor almost twodecadesbeginningwithDiverseCityin2008. Wepublishedresultsof someof our work,Therepresentationofwomenandracializedminoritiesasexpertsourceson-airinCanadianpublicaffairstelevisionintheCanadianJournal ofCommunicationsaswell asother reports.

In2023, theDiversityInstitutecompletedaproject fundedthroughCanada’sAnti-RacismActionProgram(ARAP) whichbuildsonour earlier researchrelatedtoportrayalsof womenandracializedpeopleinCanadiannewsmedia, andsought todeepenourunderstandingof theexperiencesandperceptionsof mediabiasamongBlack, Indigenous, MuslimandJewishpopulationsinCanada. Thisproject producedthreeresearchoutputs: 1. ADiscourseAnalysisreport, whichanalyzesmediarepresentationsof thefour ethno-culturalgroupsof focus(Black, Indigenous, Muslim, andJewish) over aperiodof 10years(January2011toDecember 2021) withinelevennewsoutlets, includingtheCBC;2.

Astudyof theExperiencesof DiverseJournalists, andBest Practicesfor MediaOutlets; and3. AFocusGroupanalysiswithover 100membersof four ethno-cultural groupsfor thisproject,exploringtheir experiencesandperceptionsof their groups’ portrayalsinthemedia. Thecompletereportsareincludedasappendicestothissubmission, andkeyexcerptsof thefindingscanbefoundherein. DiscourseanalysisfindingsOur studyaimedtounfoldthedifferent waysinwhichunderrepresentedgroupsarerepresentedinthemedia. Thegroupsinour studyincludedindividualsfromtheMuslim, Indigenous, BlackandJewishcommunities.

Conductingthisanalysisillustratedthestrongbiasesthat suchgroupsfaceinthemediaaswell assimilaritiesanddifferencesbetweenthesegroups’ portrayalsinthemedia. ThemediaoutletsincludedinthisstudyrangedfromEnglishnewspapersandtelevisionnetworkstoFrench-Canadianoutletstoconduct athoroughanalysisof representationwithinOntario, BritishColumbiaandQuebec.

Asdiscussed, themost frequent keywordsassociatedwitheachfocusgroupservedapurposeinidentifyingpositiveor negativeconnotationsascribedtothecommunity. For theBlackcommunity, therewasamixof negativeandpositiverepresentation, whichincludedstereotypical depictionsandanti-hateactivism. Thisillustratesthat althoughthecommunitywassupportedbyalargesumof positiverepresentation, thisgroupstill facedsignificant biasinthemediathroughstereotypes. Most articleslabelledtheBlackLivesMatter protestsasactsof justice, althoughtherewasstill alargenumber thatviewedtheprotestsasdisruptive.

Moreover, asidentifiedintheanalysisof Frenchoutlets, somearticleschallengedformsof stereotypesandhighlightedmultifacetedportrayalsof thecommunity.Overall, whilemost articlesportrayedtheBlackcommunityasresilient inthefaceof injusticesandracism, othersportrayedthecommunityasdisorderlyandviolent. Thisdepictionwasverydifferent fromother groups' representationthat didnot receivethismuchsupport fromthemedia, suchastheMuslimcommunity. TheMuslimcommunitywaspredominantlydepictedinanegativemanner.

Amongtheanalyzednewspaper outlets, anumber of articlesdiscussedthestereotypeof terrorismwithsomeimplyingorassumingthat thosepart of thecommunitywerelikelytobeterrorists. Ultimately, suchdamagingstereotypescorruptsMuslimrepresentationandpaintstheMuslimcommunitytobeuntrustworthyaswell asdangerousinthemedia. Inaddition, theperpetuationof thecontroversysurroundingtheniqabbaninQuebecfurther fueledthenegativestereotypical narrative. It addedtothedishonest imagethatthemediahasconstructedof theMuslimcommunity, deemingtheir beliefsasarchaic.

ThiscontinuestodamagetheMuslimcommunity’sreputationasit reducesthecommunitydowntoasingleentity, ratherthanagroupof diverseindividualswithdifferent morals. Suchrepresentationtakesawayfromtheothercharacteristicsof thecommunitysuchastheir hospitalityandcontributionstoCanadiansociety. Furthermore, theJewishcommunitywasoccasionallydescribednegativelyinthemedia, however,therewasamajorityof positiveor neutral representation. Thiswasevident intheanalysisastheJewishcommunitywasoftenassociatedwithanti-Jewishhatecrimes, eventsintheMiddleEast relatedtotheIsraeli–Palestinianconflict, andmemoriesof theHolocaust.

Althougharticlespredominatelyhighlightedsocial issuesthat haveaffectedthecommunityhistoricallyaswell ascontemporarily,harmful portrayalswerestill identifiedinthedeepreadinganalysisof Frencharticles. However, thiswasat amuchsmaller scale.TheIndigenouscommunitywaspredominantlyassociatedwithapositiveconnotation, withlittlenegativityinthemedia. Basedontheresultsof thisstudy, several of theanalyzedarticlesfocusedonthePathtoReconciliation. Althoughstereotypical notionswereprevalent, theoverall responsefromtheoutletswassupportiveof thecommunity.

Nevertheless, amongst theportionof articleshighlightingsocial problemsaffectingthecommunity, thereisalackof considerationfor relevant factorssuchassystemicinequalitiesandthelastingeffectsof settler colonialism. Accordingtothefindingsof thisstudy,theIndigenouscommunityisoftendepictedasstrong, resilient andsympatheticpeoplewhoareultimatelyentitledtoreparationsfor historical injusticesthat continuetoaffect thecommunity. Thiswashighlightedintheframingtendenciesashalf of thenewspapershadafocusonAttributionofResponsibilityandtheother half hadafocusonHuman-Interest.

Giventheprofoundandwidespreadinfluenceof media, it isimperativetocontinuouslyresearchandcritiquethequalitiesof mediaproductiontofoster inclusivitywithinCanada. Thisanalysishighlightstheneedfor development of positiverepresentationsfor equity-deservinggroupsasthisisof theutmostimportance. Inincreasingeffortstopromoteaccurateandwell-roundedimagesof individualsbelongingtothesegroups, thiscanchallengeandpotentiallyeradicatenegativestereotypesthat fueldiscrimination. .

DiverseJournalist Experiences&MediaBest PracticesThethemesdiscussedwithjournalistsincludedissuesof representationinthemedia; their experiencesintheworkplace, policiesandpracticestheyobserved, aswell asapproachestoimprovingrepresentationinnewscoverage. Thediscussionswerefrankandwideranging. Whilemanynotedimprovementsparticularlyintherecent years, thereweremanyareasfor improvement.

Simplyadvancingdiversityinmediaorganizationsisnotenough.Asoneparticipantsaid,it’saboutchangingthecultureoftheworkplacesothateveryoneunderstandswhythatishappening:“What'smissingsometimesisthattheseorganizationsarejusthiringpeopleofcolor, orthey'rejusthiringpeoplefrommarginalizedcommunities.Butthey'renotmakingsurethatthecolleaguesaroundthemunderstandthemission,andare,youknow,activelyunderstandingwhythisishappening,andhowtochangetheirbehaviororchangethewaytheydothings.” Consistentwithexistingresearch,journalistsmentionedthatdiverseemployeesarebeinghired,butinlowerpositions,andthatmovinguptohigherpositionsisadifficulttask.

TheperspectivesofjournalistsonstrategiestoadvanceEDIinnewsorganizationsandinthenewswereconsistentwiththeresearchandrecommendationsofothers.Specifically, theynotedtheimportanceofconsciouseffortstocreatemorediverseworkplacesandtomakespaceofdiverseleadership.Regardlessofwhetherleaderswerediverse,theyneededtosetthetoneandbeaccountableformakingEDIastrategy.

Thejournaliststhatwereinterviewedindicatedthattheseorganizationshavepoliciesinplacetoincreasediversitywithintheorganization,buthowtheyareexecutedisnotthebestinpractice;alotoftalkandlittleaction.Onejournalistthatwasinterviewedsaidthefollowing,referencingthemediaorganizationthattheypreviouslyworkedfor:“AndsoI knowthattheorganizationacknowledgestheimportance[ofdiversityandrepresentation].Butthisismuchdifferentfromdoing.” SeveralspokeofworkinginorganizationswhichwereledbywhitemenwhoinspiteoftheirlackoflivedexperiencewherecommittedtoadvancingEDIthroughouttheorganization.Beingempatheticandwillingtolistenandquestionassumptionsarethehallmarksofgoodjournalismandseveralnotedthatinadditiontopromotingdiversityintheorganizationsandinleadershiptherewasaneedforongoingtrainingforeveryone.

AnothernotedthatwhiletheorganizationexpressedcommitmentstoEDI,not“...everyoneintheorganizationisonthesamepage.I dofeelthattherearesomeverystrongproponentsoftheimportanceofinclusionandbelonginganddiversity.AndI’malsoawarethatsomepartsofCBCareresistanttotheidea”.

Thereareinitiativesandprogramsinplace,butinpractice,theydidn’tthinktheywerebeingwell-executed.Respondentsnotedtheimportanceofleadershipandseniorcommitmentsbeyondrepresentation.Theimportanceofrecruitmentstartingwithj schooleducationandinternship.Theneedtopaydiversejournalistsrealmoneyforrealjobs(asopposedtofillinggapswithfreelances)andtobuildcriticalmass.Peopletalkedaboutinitiativesthathadhelped

them–mentorshipforexampleadaffinitygroups.Andtoensuringthatinclusivepracticesarebakedintoallstagesoftheprocess.Buildingauthenticpartnershipwithcommunitygroupsandbeingaccountablewereamongtheissuesraised.“It’snotjustabouthiringpeoplefromequity-deservinggroups,it’saboutchangingthecultureoftheworkplace,andhavinganunderstandingofwhythatishappening.” Theimportanceofrolemodelsandmentorswasalsomentionedalthoughitseemedtheseneednotbefromthesamecommunity. Heregenderwasclearlyanissuewithwomen,regardlessoftheirbackgrounds,seekingotherwomentoinspireandcounselthem.

FocusGroupfindingsOurstudyaimedtounderstandhowequity-deservinggroupsinCanadaarerepresentedinmainstreammedia.Weconductedfocusgroupswith113participantswhowererepresentativesoffourequity-deservinggroupsinCanada:Blackpeople,Muslimpeople,Jewishpeople,andIndigenousPeoples.Theparticipantswerefromvarioussocio-economicbackgrounds,age,andgeographiclocations(e.g.Ontario,Quebec,andBritishColumbia).

Inkeepingwiththeecologicalmodelofchange,ouranalysisofparticipants’responsesrevealedseveralchallengesfacedatthesocietal,organizational,andindividuallevels,oftenperpetuatedbyharmfulstereotypesportrayedbymainstreammediaoutlets.Participantssharedthattheyoftentrytoconcealtheirethno-culturalidentitiestoavoiddifferentialtreatmentorunderservedreprimandinginsocietyorintheworkplace.Further, thefocusgroupsrevealedparticipants'beliefthattheircommunities’representationinmainstreammediaisinadequateandunlikelytochange.Therefore,participantssharedthatsocialmediamightbebetterplacedtoreflecttheviews,beliefs,andexperiencesofindividualsfromequity-deservinggroups,andultimatelyshiftpublicperceptionbycounteringharmfulstereotypes.

Participantsidentifiedkeyrecommendationsbasedontheirpersonalexperiencesregardinghowtoreclaimandimprovetherepresentationofequity-deservinggroupsinCanadianmainstreammedia.Theseideasrangedfromincreasingthenumberofethno-culturallydiversejournalists,tocommunitiescontactingthemainstreammediaandofferingtheirviewsonthecommunityevents.

Whilechildrenandadolescentsgrowingupinthe21stcenturyarewitnessingaculturalshifttowardsstrongeremphasisondiversity, equalityandinclusion,itisimportanttoconfrontpersistentstereotypesthatupholdinaccurateandunrepresentativeportrayalsofequity-deservinggroupsinCanada.TheinabilityoftheCanadianmainstreammediatoproperlyrepresentthesecommunitiesmightcontributetofurthersegregationandoppressionbasedonethno-culturalbackgroundsandreligiousaffiliations.

Conclusion TheDiversityInstitute’srecent study, likeothersbeforeit, illustratestheongoingneedfor sustainedcommitment onthepart of Canada’snewsmediaoutlets, includingCBC/RadioCanada, toembed

inclusivepracticesacrosstheir operations, soastomoreappropriatelyreflect thediversityof thecommunitiesthat theyrepresent. Yourstruly, WendyCukier, MA, MBA, PhD, DU(Hon) LLD(Hon) M.S.C. (civilian)Professor, EntrepreneurshipandStrategy, AcademicDirector, DiversityInstitute,350VictoriaStreet, Toronto, Ontario, CanadaM5B2K3Work: 416-979-5000, ext.556740 wcukier@torontomu.ca