How to Discredit a Social Movement: Negative Framing of “Idle No More” in Canadian Print Media

ABSTRACT

The Idle No More (INM) movement entered public view in November 2012 as a grassroots response to Canadian federal legislation Bill C-45, an omnibus bill that reduced environmental protection of lands and waters. Backed by new media technologies, Indigenous activists and their Settler Canadian allies took a series of online and offline actions to bring public attention to Bill C-45’s devastating implications and the socio-economic sufferings of Indigenous people across Canada. This explorative study examines how INM was reported by nine Canadian print media during its initial upsurge from December 2012 to January 2013. A mixed-methods content analysis reveals that although there were numerous supportive voices discussing INM’s contributions to Indigenous self-determination and environmental protection, they were overwhelmed by anti-INM rhetoric advanced by Postmedia Network and its affiliated titles. The study thus highlights the importance of promoting communication and media alternatives for future struggles against capitalism’s appropriation of nature.

KEYWORDS:

• Idle No More
• media representation
• social movement
• indigenous people
• Canadian print media

Acknowledgments

The author would like to thank the constructive comments offered by two anonymous reviewers and the help provided by the editorial team of Environmental Communication.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

ORCID

Sibo Chen http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0693-9046

Additional information

Funding

This research was supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship.