Deck 11: The Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and First Nations Issues: a Content Analysis of Major Canadian Media, 2014-2015

Question 1

Sexual violence and women's safety are public problems that news organizations find difficult to cover, because ______.

A) they aren't as essential as other stories that are breaking at the same time.
B) long-standing myths and misconceptions tend to surround them.
C) people are unable to watch them because they are too powerful.
D) they are less impactful than other news.
E) a and d are correct

Answer 1

B

Question 2

What criteria do journalists use to choose the aspects of an event to base their coverage on?

A) Frames
B) Variables
C) Filters
D) Reports
E) Media

Answer 2

C

Question 3

What are "news frames"?

A) Conceptual tools which individuals use to sort the information they receive from the media.
B) Elements used by the media which are used to filter the information selected to show an audience.
C) The image that appears on the screen when the camera is rolling.
D) The plan of action used by the media to deliver a message to the public.
E) Conceptual tools which media and individuals rely on to convey, interpret, and evaluate information.

Answer 3

E

Question 4

What are some of the characteristics of frames?

A) They are always open and flexible to incorporate new and different perspectives.
B) They are always closed and draw from a narrow group of perspective.
C) They can be open and flexible or narrow and closed, providing new perspectives as well as supporting the status quo.
D) They aim to support established narratives set by the networks.
E) None of the above

Question 5

According to research, what is one major reason for news reports not to give Indigenous perspectives the same importance as competing interests in the mainstream media?

A) They challenge establishment views on contentious topics such as economic and political questions of the day.
B) They are not of interest to the majority of the population and don't need to be presented.
C) They are not contentious enough compared to economic and political questions of the day.
D) They require a type of special attention that cannot be given to them on mainstream media.
E) There is no major reason, Indigenous perspectives are always part of news reports in mainstream media.

Question 6

Which of the following is a way in which news filters neglect being neutral?

A) Time pressure to collect information from sources
B) Having little knowledge on a topic
C) Relying on authorities as quick resources without checking credibility
D) Highlighting the dramatic aspects of a story to maximize audiences
E) All of the above

Question 7

How can a "stereotype" be defined within the context of news media filtering?

A) An unfounded or simplistic generalization about a specific group of people
B) As the typical characteristics common to a group of people
C) A relief printing plate constructed from composite type or an original plate that was cast in a mould
D) A behaviour that should be expected from all members of a group without exception
E) A fair estimate of what to expect from an individual that belongs to a specific group

Question 8

What is determined by media gatekeepers?

A) How much attention to give a specific topic
B) The topics that are to be selected and presented in the news
C) How long a topic is kept in the media spotlight based on estimates of the public's interest
D) a and c are correct
E) The quality of the topics selected to be presented in the news

Question 9

According to studies, socially disadvantaged groups are more likely to be subjected to which of the following?

A) Positive media framing
B) Being reported on to convey their accurate perception and experiences
C) Framing that remains neutral and projects their stories in an impartial manner
D) Negative media framing
E) Maximized representation in the news reflecting their support of the status quo

Question 10

What is one of the following is not a storyline that emerges in the Delhi rape in Drache and Velagic's study?

A) The specifics about the victim's life being revealed to keep the public interested
B) The media's response to sexual violence
C) The popular uproar and huge protests being organized as a result of public opinion
D) The safety of women
E) The involvement of the police in the rape investigation and their proactive role

Question 11

Which of the following organizations, platforms and/or groups has not played an active role in supporting the setup of a public agenda in response to missing and murdered Indigenous women?

A) Political organizations
B) Mainstream news media
C) Civil society
D) Governments
E) All of the above

Question 12

What are the most significant motivators that prompt today's news coverage?

A) Government reports and policy pronouncements
B) Responses to civil society outcomes
C) Social media reports
D) The Native Women's Association of Canada (NWAC)
E) a and b are correct

Question 13

Which of the following is not one of the findings from the authors' detailed analysis of the coverage of Indigenous issues?

A) For themes with the most emotional relevance for Indigenous populations, the percentage of pieces with at least one Indigenous voice was the highest.
B) Indigenous perspectives appeared in 53% of the articles in the 2014-2015 sample.
C) Stories covering land and treaty rights, pipelines and resource development or economic development generally had the highest percentage of Indigenous voices.
D) Nearly half of the topics dealing with Indigenous peoples did not include a representative from those groups.
E) At least one Indigenous voice was featured in two-thirds of stories about murdered and missing Indigenous women.

Question 14

What is the most common Indigenous voice present in articles related to Indigenous issues or stories?

A) A representative of a group, such as a spokesperson for an Indigenous organization or band council
B) The voices of the individuals participating in the stories
C) The voices of community members who are experts on the topic
D) Non-Indigenous voices of researchers who study the issue or story at hand
E) None of the above

Question 15

Despite being in the province where MMIW is prominent, which of the following news media paid less attention to the issues surrounding murdered and missing women?

A) Calgary Herald
B) National Post
C) The globe and mail
D) Vancouver Sun
E) Toronto Sun

Question 16

The RCMP released which of the following documents related to MMIW cases in 2014?

A) Forsaken: The Report of Missing Women Commission of Inquiry
B) Gender Equity in Indian Registration Overview
C) Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women: A National Operational Overview
D) Stolen Sisters: A Human Rights Response to Discrimination and Violence against Indigenous Women in Canada
E) Highway of Tears

Question 17

What was the result of the 2016 symposium on the Highway of Tears held by the Coalition of First Nations organizations?

A) A series of recommendations that included prevention, emergency planning and team response, victim family support, and community development and support
B) Documenting murdered and missing Indigenous women
C) A commission to investigate MMIW was formed
D) The Gender Equity in Indian Registration Act
E) A Human Rights Response to Discrimination and Violence against Indigenous Women in Canada report

Question 18

What was accomplished with Bill C-31 in 1985?

A) The release of a report documenting murdered and missing Indigenous women since 1971.
B) The Gender Equity in Indian Registration Act was signed into law, allowing the grandchildren of Indigenous women who lost their Indian identity by marrying non-status males to apply for their status to be restored.
C) The RCMP report
D) A commission was formed to look into the disappearances and murders of women in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside.
E) Section 12 of the Indian Act was repealed, and affected Indigenous women were given their status back.

Question 19

What was identified in the RCMP report on missing and murdered Indigenous women?

A) Gender equity issues amongst the Indigenous population.
B) Vulnerability factors that might be significant in the crimes against Indigenous women.
C) The responsibility of the federal government in the MMIW cases.
D) How high-risk behaviour influenced most of the MMIW cases.
E) a and c are correct

Question 20

Which one of the following is true about stories that refer to high-risk behaviour in relation to MMIW?

A) They can implicate other victims by denying the applicability of high-risk behaviour to particular victims.
B) They risk propagating prejudices.
C) They may encourage readers to place responsibility on the victim.
D) They involve behaviours such as alcoholism, drug abuse, homelessness, participation in sex work, and/or coming from a difficult family situation.
E) All of the above

Question 21

What was the political reaction to the MMIW crisis was mainly focused on?

A) The federal government
B) Prime Minister Stephen Harper's refusal to launch an inquiry
C) The province of British Columbia, since it had the most prominent cases
D) Municipal governments that were not paying attention to the risks experienced by the population
E) a and b are correct

Question 22

News coverage of Indigenous issues and people tend to do all of the following, except:

A) Highlight negative images of Indigenous people
B) Perpetuate stereotypes of the "bad Indian"
C) Present a neutral framework that focuses on representing the truth
D) Present a largely negative framework for interpreting news about Indigenous life
E) Present high-risk behaviour to justify criminal acts

Question 23

In 1995, members of the Shuswap Nations occupied unceded territory on a ranch owned by Lyle James, leading to many arrests. What is the name of that event?

A) The Kelowna Gustafson Standoff
B) The Gustafson Lake Standoff
C) The James Pitawanakwat crisis
D) Ipperwash Provincial Park Standoff
E) The Oka Crisis

Question 24

What happened during the Burnt Church incident in 1999?

A) Non-Indigenous fishers destroyed thousands of Mi'kmaq lobster traps that were laid out of season.
B) The Supreme Court ruled the Mi'kmaq had treaty rights to lay lobster traps off-season.
C) In 2002, an agreement was reached that only permitted Burnt Church First Nation members to fish off-season for sustenance.
D) Lobster traps were allowed to be laid by Mi'kmaq lobster fishermen during the off-season.
E) All of the above

Question 25

Which one of the following is not one of the underlying factors of colonialism that are still largely ignored by the mainstream media?

A) The reserve system
B) Cultural genocide
C) Policies of assimilation
D) Civil rights policies
E) Racial discrimination

Question 26

The key finding of the study of missing and murdered Indigenous women (MMIW) coverage was that it was cyclical, with news alternating between strong interest and apathy.

Question 27

Shifts in coverage on missing and murdered Indigenous women (MMIW) are concerning, as changes in public agenda require persistent attention.

Question 28

News frames are conceptual elements that people and the media use to express, understand, and evaluate information. Filters, on the other hand, are only used by audiences to sort the information they receive.

Question 29

A news frame might be used to present a story about a pipeline conflict in the context of Indigenous rights or economic development potential.

Question 30

News reports tend to give primacy to perspectives that neglect or reject Indigenous points of view.

Question 31

Frames that give Indigenous perspectives the same importance as competing interests in the mainstream media are almost certain to be welcome in established media.

Question 32

Media gatekeepers estimate the public's interest in a particular topic.

Question 33

Too much attention media attention on a topic can create a loss of interest in it, while inattention can cause an issue to become interesting to the public.

Question 34

News articles are always framed in a way that promotes knowledge and clarity, they are never framed in a way that perpetuates prejudices and misconceptions.

Question 35

Demonstrations have not compelled government action and have become a force that politicians can easily ignore.

Question 36

In many newsrooms, Indigenous issues have been considered of limited interest to mainstream audiences.

Question 37

In public discourse, particularly when it comes to underrepresented populations, having a voice is critical.

Question 38

Groups that aren't regularly featured in the news, especially when it comes to issues that concern their communities, are more likely to be disregarded or dismissed. When this happens, stereotypes tend to fill in the information gaps.

Question 39

For topics with the strongest emotional relevance for Indigenous communities, the percentage of pieces with at least one Indigenous voice was lowest.

Question 40

In Indigenous stories, government spokespersons rarely have a voice. Government officials, together with lawyers and other experts, play a small part in the public debate over Indigenous issues.

Question 41

In articles related to treaty rights, economic development, criminal justice, and health and social welfare, which are of great importance to Indigenous peoples, the voices mostly heard were those of Canada's economic and professional elites.

Question 42

Even though one out of every three articles about Indigenous issues did not include an Indigenous voice, it appears that Indigenous voices are receiving greater attention in the media than in the past.

Question 43

Indigenous voices are particularly well represented in commentaries, letters to the editor, or opinion columns.

Question 44

Many journalism texts include the idea that promoting informed public discourse is one of the tasks of quality journalism.

Question 45

The subject of murdered and missing women, including calls for a national investigation, was the least covered story in five publications, trailing only resource development issues in three others.

Question 46

In news stories concerning missing and murdered Indigenous women, 12% of the articles specifically denied that the victim had a "high-risk" lifestyle, while a large percentage of the stories (17%) questioned the victim's vulnerability.

Question 47

Reports can appear to implicate other victims in their own victimization by emphasizing the absence of "vulnerability factors" in a specific case.

Question 48

Blame that was directly assigned in the news tended to focus on the Canadian government and the police, particularly the RCMP, which provides police services on most reserves.

Question 49

Conventional news reports focus on multiple incidents, leaving little room for background and context.

Question 50

Negative stereotypes were most common in opinion pieces, according to Human Rights research journalists.

Question 51

The Oka Crisis arose due to a land dispute involving a development company and the Mohawks of Kanehsatà:ke in 1990.

Question 52

On behalf of the Canadian government, Justice Murray Sinclair issued a formal apology to survivors of residential schools. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) was established, chaired by Harper. The final report of the TRC was published in 2015.

Question 53

What are the two main ways in which filters are not neutral? How are frames selected and what role may stereotypes play in this selection?

Question 54

What are the characteristics and the challenges of reporting sex crimes? What are the five storylines of the Delhi rape according to Drache and Velagic?

Question 55

What are the two narratives found in Canada concerning missing and murdered Indigenous women? What role did the Native Women's Association of Canada (NWAC) have on the mobilization of information and the RCMP response?

Question 56

What is referred to as the searchlight phenomenon? How does it reflect on the way Indigenous news recovered? How is the coverage for truth and reconciliation an example of this?

Question 57

What are some examples of underlying factors of colonialism? How are they being neglected by mainstream media?

Question 58

What are filters and news frames and how are they used by media and audiences? What frames are not usually used by the media? Why not?

Question 59

What has been the role of civil society and social media platforms in the attention given to news about missing and murdered Indigenous women (MMIW)? What are influences affecting mainstream media? Explain how this affects cases of MMIW.

Question 60

How is voice represented in mainstream media? What stories include the most Indigenous voices? Which ones includes the least? How does this impact how these stories are framed?

Question 61

Describe how mainstream media fails to report on Indigenous stories. Why is this a problem? What are the observations from the Royal Commissions Report on Aboriginal Peoples and the TRC Executive Summary?

Question 62

What is the role of mainstream media in cases of missing and murdered Indigenous women? How does it perpetuate inequality amongst the Canadian populations? What would you say needs to change in this respect?

Question 63

What is the importance of voice in media coverage? How do you think that the presence (or lack thereof) of Indigenous perspectives influences the audience?

Question 64

What are some of the recommendations from the TRC mentioned in the text? Would you say that they have been followed? What would you consider to be the best approach to addressing these recommendations?