How Ready Are You to Cover Indigenous Issues Responsibly?

Discover your current level of preparedness for reporting on Indigenous topics in Canada. In just 4 questions, we'll evaluate your understanding of key challenges, ethical considerations, and best practices. At the end, you'll receive a personalized action plan with specific strategies to improve your Indigenous issues coverage—plus exclusive resources to guide your next steps.

When approaching a story about an Indigenous community, what's your typical first step?

I reach out to government sources or official statements to get the story quickly I research the community's history and try to find a community contact to interview I invest time building relationships with community members and leaders before pitching the story I consult with Indigenous advisors, research community history, build relationships, and seek community consent before publication

How confident are you in using appropriate terminology when reporting on Indigenous peoples in Canada?

I'm uncertain—I often use terms like 'Indian' or 'Aboriginal' without checking if they're preferred I know the basic terms (Indigenous, First Nations, Métis, Inuit) but sometimes mix them up I understand the terminology and check community preferences, though I'm still learning context-specific nuances I'm fluent in terminology, consult style guides, ask communities directly, and understand why language choices matter

When you notice that most of your Indigenous coverage focuses on problems, crises, or negative outcomes, what do you do?

That's just what's newsworthy—crises and problems are what people want to read about I recognize it's an issue but I'm not sure how to find positive stories or where to start I actively seek out stories about Indigenous achievements and cultural revitalization, though balancing is still challenging I deliberately diversify my coverage to include success stories, innovation, and community-led solutions alongside critical coverage

How do you currently handle ethical questions about sensitive cultural information or sacred practices in your reporting?

If it's public information or I found it through research, it's fair game to publish I ask individual sources if they're comfortable with me publishing sensitive information I seek input from community contacts and consider their concerns before deciding what to publish I ask whether the story should be told at all, seek community consent, and follow community protocols around sacred or sensitive information