"For nearly a century, many national public service broadcasters have told Indigenous stories, with many trailblazing Indigenous staff taking these stories to national and international audiences. They have been there to record waiata, chants and joiks of the elders, providing a treasury of language and culture that might otherwise have been lost. They have done important journalism that has changed a nation, uncovering the grim past of dispossession, often forcing reconciliation efforts in states.
But the broadcasters have also been far from perfect. These trailblazers often beat a lonely path. Their stories may have been overlooked, if not marginalised. As one participant in this study noted: in many countries, public service broadcasting was established as part of a nation-building project. What does that mean if the nation being built was at the expense of the original inhabitants?
Fortunately, things are changing. The fact this conference is happening is a start. There is an impressive array of Indigenous broadcasters around the world, and there is an increasing appetite for Indigenous content and languages, with public service broadcasters now playing a leading role in meeting that demand. Many have produced significant Indigenous strategies, policies, or reconciliation plans. There is a lot of work to do, and it’s a daunting task that must be approached with humility. But that work is happening, and it is being fronted by some incredible and passionate Indigenous leaders, with the support of wider organisations. Ahead of its October 2024 conference in Ottawa, Walking Together: Amplifying Indigenous Stories in Public Media, CBC/Radio-Canada commissioned the Public Media Alliance to write this briefing paper, in the hope that it will set the scene for a more expansive discussion. They asked us to hold a range of in-depth interviews with those responsible for Indigenous staff, strategy and content at seven national public service media organisations and two Indigenous broadcasters. The discussions were detailed, and the passion and drive of those interviewed was obvious. I can only hope to have fully captured their essence. The countries and territories profiled share many similarities: they have strong public media that offer Indigenous services, but they are also countries with one or many Indigenous groups who have become a minority through settler colonisation which, over centuries, has eroded language, culture and Indigenous society. But while there are striking similarities between these peoples, they are by no means the same.
Indigenous societies are vastly diverse and rich in their own way, and the histories, governance, statutory recognition, reconciliation, reclamation, stories and experiences are incredibly varied. Even among public service broadcasters, there is great variation; their mandates, remits, and how they both work with, cover and serve Indigenous Peoples differs. Some countries have a single national public service broadcaster with an autonomous Indigenous service; others may only have Indigenous programmes or staff within a wider service; while others will have dedicated Indigenous broadcasters." (Introduction, pages 4-5)