By Anna McKenzie, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Researchers at the University of Manitoba (UM) have released a report that combats what they say is a new strain of residential 香蕉视频直播渟chool香蕉视频直播� denialism.
The report, released on Oct. 11, debunks conspiracy theories about a so-called 香蕉视频直播渕ass grave hoax香蕉视频直播� 香蕉视频直播� a narrative that is 香蕉视频直播渘ot supported by the evidence,香蕉视频直播� according to researchers Sean Carleton and Reid Gerbrandt.
The research involved fact-checking 386 news stories that were published in the six months following the news that evidence of unmarked burial sites was identified on the grounds of the former Kamloops Indian Residential School.
The news unleashed a national reckoning around residential 香蕉视频直播渟chools香蕉视频直播� and led to many similar uncoverings across the country. However, it also led to a slew of denialists decrying the investigations as a 香蕉视频直播渉oax.香蕉视频直播�
UM香蕉视频直播檚 report ultimately found that there is no truth to claims that media, government and First Nations purposefully misreported potential unmarked graves at former residential 香蕉视频直播渟chools香蕉视频直播� as 香蕉视频直播渕ass graves香蕉视频直播� for political or ideological reasons. The report also found that of the 135 news articles that contained inaccuracies, only 25 used the term 香蕉视频直播渕ass graves香蕉视频直播� when referencing the discoveries.
To learn more about this research, IndigiNews had a conversation with Carleton, who is a non-Indigenous assistant professor in the Department of History and Indigenous Studies at UM, and author of the book Lessons in Legitimacy: Colonialism, Capitalism, and the Rise of State Schooling in British Columbia.
The following Q&A has been edited for length and clarity.
Anna: Can you tell me why you think it香蕉视频直播檚 important to debunk myths about these 香蕉视频直播渄iscoveries香蕉视频直播� at Canada香蕉视频直播檚 former residential 香蕉视频直播渟chools香蕉视频直播�?
Sean: I think in the last number of years since the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) final report, and especially since the Kamloops 215 announcement, we香蕉视频直播檝e seen a concerning rise in residential school denialism.
To be clear, it香蕉视频直播檚 not that people deny that residential schools happened, but rather, denialism is a strategy to downplay, twist and misrepresent basic facts about something 香蕉视频直播� to shake public confidence. In this case, it香蕉视频直播檚 shaking confidence in survivor testimony, and the experiences of many students in residential schools.
I think some people don香蕉视频直播檛 realize how damaging denialism is for the people who have spoken their truth, and I also think that香蕉视频直播檚 exactly why denialists do it. They香蕉视频直播檙e trying to intimidate, discredit and come up with a sort of backlash argument or counter narrative to try and slow the progress on truth and reconciliation in this country. That kind of misinformation and disinformation needs to be confronted head on.
A: That香蕉视频直播檚 really well said, thank you so much. Can you tell me more about why you chose to focus your research on this topic?
S: I made a commitment to a family member who attended the St. Michael香蕉视频直播檚 Indian Residential School in Alert Bay, B.C, that I would use my energy to understand more about residential school history. This motivated me to get involved in helping other settler Canadians, like me, to understand more about the history of colonialism and schooling.
As a historian, I teach classes on residential school history, literature, and help people understand the truth that survivors have been telling us, and what we understand from the church and state records about the system. I think for me, I started to realize that there were people out there who didn香蕉视频直播檛 just not know about residential schools, but would prefer not to know and are actively trying to undermine any changes in terms of Indigenous and settler relations.
I felt like I had a direct responsibility as I saw this misinformation as an affront to the work that survivors have done. The TRC final report formula was very clear 香蕉视频直播� we have to have truth and then truth will lead to healing injustice. Healing injustice will lead to reconciliation. I think denialists understand that formula and what they香蕉视频直播檙e trying to do is undermine people香蕉视频直播檚 truth so that they don香蕉视频直播檛 have to do the healing injustice and reconciliation part. I think we all have a responsibility to ensure in this age of misinformation that that doesn香蕉视频直播檛 happen, and that we don香蕉视频直播檛 miss this opportunity to learn from survivors.
A: Thanks, Sean. On a personal note, challenging misformation is important to me not only as a journalist, but as the daughter of a day 香蕉视频直播渟chool香蕉视频直播� survivor. I appreciate the work that you are doing, particularly how the report analyzes how 香蕉视频直播淐anadian香蕉视频直播� news outlets reported on the news of the evidence of 215 unmarked graves in Tk香蕉视频直播檈mlups.At IndigiNews, we actually halted all reporting until the community was ready to share with us. We wanted to honour grieving protocols, and to not 香蕉视频直播減arachute in香蕉视频直播� to get a story, causing harm to those who are already grieving. In a lot of ways, it felt like the whole media world was looking to us, as Indigenous reporters, because they didn香蕉视频直播檛 know how to report on residential 香蕉视频直播渟chools.香蕉视频直播� We香蕉视频直播檙e still in the infancy of, you know, being able to tell these stories and tell the truth. I think combating any kind of denialism is really important.
S: The other part of the report that I think is important is that we noticed a new strain of denialism emerge about a year after the Kamloops announcement. Claims that journalists universally misreported to shock and guilt Canadians into caring. I knew that in my gut, people were confused about what was really happening. Even I didn香蕉视频直播檛 really understand the difference between a large number of potential or likely unmarked graves and the mass graves. I didn香蕉视频直播檛 understand the precision in these definitions and even made mistakes myself in terms of figuring out what was being identified here. However, I had a feeling that the people who are trying to discredit the final report of the TRC are now pushing this 香蕉视频直播渕ass grave hoax香蕉视频直播� narrative, so we fact checked this argument through looking at the world香蕉视频直播檚 media coverage following the Kamloops 215 announcement. We found that overall, the majority of journalists in a very confusing time in a breaking news situation actually got it right.
Twenty-five of the 386 articles we examined used the terminology of 香蕉视频直播渕ass grave香蕉视频直播�, representing just 6.5 per cent of the samples we looked at. However, this research took us a year to do, and during that time, the 香蕉视频直播渕ass grave hoax香蕉视频直播� narrative floated around, and now people are picking it up and running with it, and using it as a weapon. We saw the counsellor in P.E.I who put a sign on his personal property for National Truth and Reconciliation Day doing just that. And so, I think we all have a responsibility to do the work, to look into the sources and say some people made mistakes, but they were a minority of mistakes. The amount of mass grave reporting was minuscule, and what we then see as a result is just another example of denialism.
A: I recall noticing that shift too, about a year after that devastating news broke. People were coming up to me in the street to apologize, openly weeping for not knowing about residential schools. Everyone had orange shirts hanging in their windows, and along the highway here on 香蕉视频直播淰ancouver Island.香蕉视频直播� Not even a year later, all of those orange shirts came down during the Freedom Convoy debacle, and were replaced with Canadian flags. It felt like our pain and grief was forgotten about, and worse, being denied.
S: This is why we felt that the research we香蕉视频直播檝e done and that the report is necessary because denialism is a backlash. It is trying to push back things. And what we wanted to do was model what pushing back against that backlash could look like it香蕉视频直播檚 like so it doesn香蕉视频直播檛 always have to fall on the shoulders of survivors. That work doesn香蕉视频直播檛 always need to fall on Indigenous people. Reconciliation is not an Indigenous problem. It is a Canadian responsibility, and when truth, that becomes part of your responsibility to hold space for that. What I香蕉视频直播檓 witnessing is that all of these denialists are trying to push back on that and trying to prevent progress. I香蕉视频直播檓 hopeful that if people, and I香蕉视频直播檓 specifically speaking to non-Indigenous people, can learn to identify and confront denialism, it can help. It requires people who have positions, whether it香蕉视频直播檚 in journalism, academia, or policy, to find ways to push back against denialism so that we can continue to move forward with truth and reconciliation.
I hope that there will be more research done on this to give people the evidence to say that the 香蕉视频直播渕ass grave hoax香蕉视频直播� is a misrepresentation of what journalists actually reported. We all have a responsibility during an age of misinformation .125so.375 that we don香蕉视频直播檛 miss the opportunity to learn from what survivors are telling us.
A: Thank you so much for the gift of your time, Sean.
