About the Project

Image Credit: Justin Morris

Reporting in Black Communities is a project dedicated to transforming how Canadian media covers Black communities.

Centring the impact of anti-Black racism in news reporting, it will be the first resource in Canada directly informed by the perspectives of Black news consumers, Black journalists and non-Black journalists and newsroom leaders.

Led by journalism professors Eternity Martis (Toronto Metropolitan University) and Nana aba Duncan (Carleton University), Reporting in Black Communities aims to provide a comprehensive, research-driven, community-informed guide and resource hub for journalists, educators, and students, ensuring reporting on Black communities is accurate, dignified, and equitable — today and for generations to come.

This project is based on Professor Martis’ course “Reporting on Race: The Black Community in the Media” at Toronto Metropolitan University’s School of Journalism. The course is the first of its kind journalism course on reporting on Black communities in Canada.

The Reporting in Black Communities Symposium is supported by the Mary Ann Shadd Cary Centre for Journalism and Belonging, a research centre which advocates, supports and participates in inclusive and belonging-focused journalism in Canada through research, education, community-building and media production.

Why This Project Matters

For decades, journalistic coverage of Black people in Canada has been marred by negative stereotypes, misinformation, and underrepresentation, primarily focusing on crime, sports, and entertainment. This perpetuates harmful public perceptions and directly impacts Black individuals’ lives, affecting their access to housing, employment, education, and overall well-being. This project seeks to understand how we can restore trust and mitigate the harm caused by journalism in Black communities. By gathering insights directly from Black news consumers, non-Black journalists and newsroom leaders, we are developing practical tools and guidelines to foster responsible and nuanced reporting. Our goal is twofold: to validate diverse Black experiences with the news, and to shift negative narratives by equipping journalists with the tools they need to better report on Black communities — ultimately contributing to a better quality of life for Black communities across Canada.

What We’ve Done

Phase 1

Black Community Focus Groups

We conducted focus groups with Black community members across four Canadian cities with distinct Black populations: Edmonton (the largest Somali-Canadian population outside southern Ontario), Halifax (a historic Black population), Toronto (the largest urban Black population), and Montreal (the largest French-speaking Black population).

Key findings from Phase 1:

Stereotypes: 100% of participants identified negative stereotypes in news coverage, including criminality, laziness, danger, violence, and oversexualization.

Impact: Many reported that news coverage negatively affects their access to housing, jobs, education, healthcare, mental health, and their relationship with their own community in some way.

Representation: Participants overwhelmingly felt Black people are still primarily represented in crime, sports, and entertainment — a pattern unchanged for over 30 years.

Trust in Journalists: 43.6% of participants were “unsure if they trust journalists. Uncertainty stemmed from perceived inconsistencies in journalistic behavior and ethics.

Post-2020 Changes: Most participants saw positive changes in coverage of anti-Black racism and police brutality after George Floyd’s murder but noted a lack of lasting change.

Phase 2

Non-Black Journalists and Newsroom Leaders Interviews

In Phase 2, we interviewed non-Black journalists and newsroom leaders about their experiences and challenges in reporting on Black communities.

Key findings from Phase 2:

Fear of Missteps: Some non-Black journalists expressed a “fear of getting it wrong” when working on stories centering Black people.

Leadership Change: Non-Black journalists desire visible Black managers with hiring power in leadership roles.

Lack of resources: Non-Black journalists expressed more comprehensive resources to report on Black communities including strategies for managing teams effectively, toolkits and guidance for culturally sensitive writing, and practical guides.

Research Team

Image Credit: Yasmine Mathurin

Co-Researcher

Eternity Martis

Assistant Professor, Toronto Metropolitan University

Eternity is an assistant professor and the first Black tenured faculty member at TMU’s School of Journalism. She developed “Reporting on Race: The Black Community in the Media,” the first journalism course on reporting on Black communities in Canada and the inspiration for the Reporting in Black Communities project. An award-winning journalist and editor, she is also the author of the bestselling memoir They Said This Would Be Fun.

Visit Eternity’s Website

Co-Researcher

Nana aba Duncan

Associate Professor, Carty Chair in Journalism, Diversity and Inclusion Studies, School of Journalism and Communication, Carleton University

Nana aba is an associate professor, inaugural Carty Chair, and the first Black tenured faculty member at Carleton University’s School of Journalism and Communication. She founded the Mary Ann Shadd Cary Centre for Journalism and Belonging, a research center promoting inclusive journalism in Canada. Co-founder of Media Girlfriends (a production company led by journalists of color), she previously spent 15 years as a host and producer at CBC Radio.

Visit Nana aba’s Website

Research Assistants:

Eunice Oladejo

Danielle Reid

Jisele Bayley-Hay

Research Partners:

Canadian Commission for UNESCO

Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council

Toronto Metropolitan University

Mary Ann Shadd Cary Centre for Journalism and Belonging, Carleton University

Get in touch

For more information, please contact us.

couple in blue shirts walking through park

femme in black shirt in front of orange wall