There have been a lot of conversations about media on campus this week. 

CBC/Radio-Canada held their Annual Public Meeting (APM) at the University of Winnipeg on Sept. 29, and senior staff fielded some tough questions from the floor about the future of the organization. Many wondered about recent cuts, and how the CBC will remain relevant to young people. 

Although brief, it was hopefully the beginning of more conversations about the media in Winnipeg. You can read more about the APM and our conversation with president Hubert Lacroix in this week’s online exclusive, and we’d love to hear your thoughts. 

We’re here to tell stories but also to be part of the conversation. Our mission statement says, in part, that The Uniter should be “a vehicle for University of Winnipeg students and surrounding community to learn about and participate in the field of journalism.” 

Learning about journalism doesn’t have to be limited to our office, or the campus. In this issue, we’re presenting a handful of pieces that take a critical look at the media, its role and its messaging. 

On the cover this week, we’re taking another look at the larger issue of indigenous representation (and misrepresentation) in the media. Though we do recognize the limits of a non-indigenous writer reporting on indigenous self-representation, we hope that this piece can be part of a larger dialogue about interacting with and making the media. 

In the cover feature, Michael Champagne discusses building relationships with reporters. As part of the media, we have to hold up our end of that relationship as well. The photo shoots and visuals included with this story were a collaborative effort with active input from AYO and everyone included, so that they can be presented in the light they chose. 

In the Comments section, contributors ask: Did our Mayor follow his promises to build an inclusive city with enough action? Is misogyny in rap music part of the genre’s legacy, or is it an industry-wide issue? These questions look not only at the media, but how citizens accept or question its products and messages. 

In the City section, a question asked by a reporter had some unexpected outcomes. We talked to Graeme Coleman about how the act of asking a question, and the larger conversations that question started, have impacted his daily life. 

Journalism isn’t only just taught in school. It’s also learned through practice, reflection and discussion. Whether you’re participating in acts of journalism by writing for us, or by reading these pieces and sharing them, we hope that you’re learning something. 

-Anastasia Chipelski

Published in Volume 70, Number 4 of The Uniter (October 1, 2015)