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April Lindgren, Ryerson University professor of journalism, speaks about ethnic reporting at Canadian Ethnic Media Association (CEMA)

Oct 11, 2013 Estonian Life No. 41 2013

At the first CEMA meeting of the year, Professor April Lindgren from Ryerson University imparted the results of her research study on ethnic media. Lindgren was not someone steeped in academia but is a seasoned journalist who has worked covering news locally, provincially and federally so what she had to say was of interest.

Lindgren showed graphs indicating levels of news coverage of mainstream media and local ethnic media. The results indicated that mainstream media showed little coverage of news foreign countries and hardly anything about ethnic communities in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) unless they are involved in crime.
April Lindgren - photo by Adu Raudkivi

The ethnic papers wrote about stories from “back home” but very little from here, the GTA.

Lindgren suggested the gathered audience start covering local news more vigorously as a means of integrating their communities with mainstream society, informing them about what is going on here and making them more comfortable with this city.

There was serious discussion between members of the audience and Lindgren as to what is the proper mix, whether local news or news from “home” but the bottom line is what the readership wants to hear/read, what is their level of understanding English with which they can pick up on Canadian news themselves and what they make of it.

Usually the successful media outlets have discovered the proper “mix” of local and home news and need little coaching. The others have gone by the boards.

Adu Raudkivi

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