Eighth International Conference on Communication & Media Studies

Abstract

While the issue of “fake news” has generated significant critical attention since the 2016 US elections, there is an ongoing need to examine the broader, longstanding problems associated with our existing news media system. These include the power of “establishment media” outlets in setting the public agenda, privileging certain voices and perspectives over others, reinforcing corporate and state power, and naturalizing the existing social order in general. There is an equally urgent need to recognize that projects of settler colonization, rather than being located only in the past, are a defining aspect of present-day realities – in effect, the deepest of deep structures – in places such as the United States, Canada, Australia, and Palestine. In this paper, I discuss the results of my research into the relative absence of the concept of settler colonialism in coverage provided by three US establishment media outlets: the New York Times, National Public Radio, and CNN. I argue that establishment media play a significant role in rendering these realities invisible or poorly understood, thereby blunting the power of the critiques offered by indigenous victims of settler projects and making it difficult for members of settler communities to come to terms with their privilege and ethical responsibilities.