The Real Issue: Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women in Canada

In this paper, I follow the issue of missing and murdered Indigenous women in Canadian media from October 2015 until November 2015. The paper is a commentary on the stories that I found in that period and an analysis of how Indigenous peoples are represented in the news. I use Robert Harding’s article “The Media, Aboriginal People and Common Sense” to frame my argument and inform my analysis of the ways that indigenous peoples, particularly women and the issues of missing and murdered indigenous women, are represented in mainstream Canadian media. This paper is important in contemporary society because it brings up critical issues that are largely ignored, most notably those issues surrounding stereotypes and common sense racism towards Indigenous Peoples in Canada. This paper tries to dismiss such notions and perhaps make people more informed about issues plaguing Indigenous communities throughout Canada. My presentation will consist of several parts. The first part will introduce Harding’s argument and how it is seen in the sources I have chosen. Secondly, I will look at the media sources comparing how national sources differ from small-town regional representations. Lastly, I will look at comments on the articles by the general public and see how they support, or refute, Harding’s argument