Heroes for the helpless: A critical discourse analysis of Canadian national print media’s coverage of the food insecurity crisis in Nunavut

Authors

  • Bradley Hiebert Faculty of Information and Media Studies The University of Western Ontario
  • Elaine Power School of Kinesiology and Health Studies Queen's University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15353/cfs-rcea.v3i2.149

Keywords:

food insecurity, Nunavut, Inuit, Canadian media, critical discourse analysis

Abstract

In northern Canada, the Inuit’s transition from a culturally traditional to a Western diet has been accompanied by chronic poverty and provoked high levels of food insecurity, resulting in numerous negative health outcomes. This study examines national coverage of Nunavut food insecurity as presented in two of Canada’s most widely read newspapers: The Globe and Mail and National Post. A critical discourse analysis (CDA) was employed to analyze 24 articles, 19 from The Globe and Mail and 5 from National Post. Analysis suggests national print media propagates the Inuit’s position as The Other by selectively reporting on social issues such as hunger, poverty and income. Terms such as “Northerners” and “Southerners” are frequently used to categorically separate Nunavut from the rest of Canada and Inuit-driven efforts to resolve their own issues are widely ignored. This effectively portrays the Inuit as helpless and the territory as a failure, and allows Canadians to maintain colonialist views of Inuit inferiority and erroneously assume Federal initiatives effectively address Northern food insecurity.

Author Biography

Bradley Hiebert, Faculty of Information and Media Studies The University of Western Ontario

Brad is a doctoral candidate in Health Information Sciences at The University of Western Ontario. His research involves photovoice and grounded theory methodologies to investigate how rural men, specifically male farmers, identify and seek health information and how this process is influenced by rural cultural and gender norms around masculinity. 

close up photo of a raw Atlantic oyster in half its shel

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Published

2016-12-15

How to Cite

Hiebert, B., & Power, E. (2016). Heroes for the helpless: A critical discourse analysis of Canadian national print media’s coverage of the food insecurity crisis in Nunavut. Canadian Food Studies La Revue Canadienne Des études Sur l’alimentation, 3(2), 104–126. https://doi.org/10.15353/cfs-rcea.v3i2.149

Issue

Vol. 3 No. 2 (2016): Forming and Informing Transformation

Section

Research Articles

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