Reporting on Black Communities 101 - UBC JWAM Online Workshop

About the workshop

Following the Black Lives Matter protests this past summer, the journalism industry in Canada is being forced to reckon with its own damaging history of anti-Black reporting. While journalists take an oath to do no harm and tell the truth, many stories about Black communities in Canada reinforce harmful stereotypes and beliefs about Black people, which has lasting, devastating impacts on every part of their lives.

In this workshop, we’ll briefly look back at the history of Black Canadians, and their representation in the media, in order to understand the legacy of oppression, discrimination and systemic racism that are entrenched in our society and media coverage. Then we’ll analyze how language and portrayals further harm to Black communities, the critical issues affecting Black communities face today from COVID-19 and health to crime and police brutality. Lastly, we’ll learn how to gather story ideas, report on, interview and enter Black communities fairly, respectfully and with accountability.

About Eternity Martis

Named as one of Canada's Top 100 Most Powerful Women by Women's Executive Network in 2020, Eternity Martis is an award-winning Toronto-based journalist and editor. She was a 2017 National Magazine Awards finalist for Best New Writer and the 2018 winner of the Canadian Online Publishing Awards for Best Investigative Article. Her work has appeared in Vice, Huffington Post, The Walrus, CBC, Hazlitt, The Fader, Salon, and on academic syllabuses around the world. Her work on race and language has influenced media style guide changes across the country.

Her debut memoir, They Said This Would Be Fun, is a Toronto Star, Globe and Mail and Vancouver Sun bestseller. It's featured on anticipated and essential book lists including Now, the Globe and Mail, BlogTO, CBC, Chatelaine and more. CBC has named Martis one of "Six Canadian writers of Black heritage to watch in 2020" and the book as one of "20 moving Canadian memoirs to read right now." PopSugar named it one of "5 Books About Race on College Campuses Every Student Should Read" and it is one of Chapters/Indigo's "Best Books of 2020." The audiobook has been named "Best Audiobooks Of 2020" by Apple and Audible. Recently, it became a finalist for the International Book Awards in the categories of Autobiography/Memoir and Social Change.

Martis is this year’s Journalist-in-Residence at the School of Journalism, Writing, and Media and adjunct professor in the department of Gender, Race, Sexuality and Social Justice at UBC. She is also the course developer and instructor of Reporting On Race: The Black Community in the Media at Ryerson University, the first of its kind in Canada. She earned an honours BA and a Certificate in Writing from Western University and an MJ from Ryerson University.