Aboriginal representations in the Canadian news media: A socio-semiotic analysis of the media representation of Aboriginals in the Caledonia land dispute and of its relevance for the understanding of the identity of this group in Canadian society

Abstract

This thesis addresses the issue of aboriginal representations in the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) and Canadian Television (CTV) news coverage of the Caledonia land dispute. The theoretical framework derives from the scholarly work done in the field of media and minority studies. The methodology that will be used to address the issue of aboriginal representations in the media is a socio-semiotic analysis of news clips generated by the CBC and CTV. The medium of television was selected for analysis because of its reliance on sound and image to convey meaning, which allows for a visual and a conventional textual analysis of how the aboriginal identity is represented by the media coverage of aboriginal land claim disputes. The results of this study suggest a possible biased representation of the aboriginal identity, one which is primarily based on their status as a minority within Canada.