The Portrayal of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Men and Boys in News Media

Abstract

Indigenous men and boys are murdered at a higher rate than any other group of individuals Canada. Yet there is little public concern surrounding this issue. Prior research on missing Indigenous women and girls indicates that media portrayals can affect cultural narratives through a lack of media coverage and by enforcing dehumanizing and colonialist narratives. However, minimal research has examined the portrayal of missing and murdered Indigenous men and boys (MMIMB) in news media. As such, the current study involves a content analysis of Canadian news media to explore how MMIMB are portrayed by the Canadian news media. Findings, limitations, and recommendations for future research and policy will be discussed.

Faculty Supervisor:
Dr. Danielle Murdoch, School of Criminology, Simon Fraser University