Posted on September 28, 2021
As the non-racialized world becomes more and more aware of the importance of representation, the Canada Media Fund is looking at ways to utilize new data collection technology to effect change.
In her article, Amber Dowling discusses the rising pressure put upon Canadian health, education and environment industries to collect more representational data that accounts for racialized minorities, specifically. She argues that this data would be beneficial to television watchers and creators in several ways.
First, Dowling posits that if television networks were to have data that told them what racial and cultural groups are not watching their shows, they could begin to dissect why and start to make changes to ensure their programming is reaching all demographics.
She goes on to state that Canadian BIPOC creators do not feel their projects are being equitably considered in the financing and greenlighting process. They're wanting Canadian media institutions to monitor where their money is going to ensure equal funding across ethnic groups.
Lastly, Dowling spoke to a representative of the Racial Equity Media Collective who discussed the idea that shows that may seem representational in their casting, are actually still made for the default, Canadian media consumer who, thanks to systemic racism, is always assumed to be an older caucasian.
The full, in-depth article makes for a very intriguing and eye-opening read. We recommend that you head over to CMF to get the full story.
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