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January 14, 2004

Recent media attention of the police raids on the legislature has largely focused on the seizure of documents from the offices of both fired aide to Finance Minister Gary Collins, Dave (Udhe) Basi as well as Bob Virk, another political assistant that has been suspended with pay from the office of Transportation Minister Judith Reid.

Then there has been the recent sensationalized, tabloid style coverage of violence that has occurred within the Indo-Canadian community.  Large pictures, clandestine sources, murder, drugs, intrigue, and of course talk of organized crime.

Very rarely does the Vancouver media speak quite as often of gangs or crime that involve other ethnicities or demographics, despite the fact that every reporter that has researched the aspects of BC's underground economy knows the depth of involvement from across the province.

Media are there to cover events, and thus when high profile crimes involving Indo-Canadians occur, it is going to end up within the public realm.  This, however, does not excuse the manner in which the Indo-Canadian community has been treated by the media, whether by curious reporters going to houses to corner people who do not speak English, or by portraying violence amongst Indo-Canadian youth as a soap opera rather than a tragedy.

The media can't eliminate prejudice, but it can help to reduce it by fostering tolerance and understanding through balanced reporting.

Comments? jonathan@tdhstrategies.com