Bringing Peace to Practice? The Need to Consider Journalism Practice When Reforming Aboriginal Media Coverage in Canada

• Published in: Stream: Interdisciplinary Journal of Communication
• Main Author: McMahon, Rob
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: School of Communication, Simon Fraser University 2009
• Subjects: Canada; First Nations
• Online Access: https://journals.sfu.ca/stream/index.php/stream/article/view/26; https://doi.org/10.21810/strm.v1i2.26

In a non-binding decision concerning the Xeni Gwet’in First Nations’ aboriginal title to a large portion of their traditional territory, Justice David Vickers advised the Crown and the First Nations group to negotiate a settlement that explicitly avoided assigning blame on either of the two parties. He called for the need for both parties to avoid splitting themselves into “winners†and “losers,†a dichotomy that the judicial system tends to promote, but one that also hardens divisions and so undermines attempts at long-term reconciliation.