Nana aba Duncan Addresses Systemic Racism in Journalism

Since becoming Carleton University’s inaugural Carty Chair in Journalism, Diversity and Inclusion Studies in 2021, Nana aba Duncan has transitioned from hosting provincially broadcasted radio programs, such as the CBC’s Fresh Air, to sharing knowledge in the classroom.

As the Carty Chair, Duncan is leading change in the education of tomorrow’s journalists to create an inclusive environment for all, addressing long-standing systemic bias and racism within the profession.

“Anti-Black racism has a way of making you feel like you don’t belong in the room,” she says. “And that is ridiculous because journalism is meant to reflect all of us.”

Tackling Systemic Racism Through Education

Duncan created the course Journalism and Belonging to help future journalists recognize the necessity of diversity and inclusion in reporting, while gaining an understanding of how discrimination and bias impacts editorial decisions and career progressions in the field.

“The heaviest thing that I was concerned about when I first started, was the impact that I would make,” she says.

“The historical role of anti-Black racism in Canadian journalism is important to understand.”

Class assignments are one way that Duncan teaches this history. In one reading, she included an example of a newspaper ad calling for information about an escaped enslaved woman – demonstrating how the industry profited from slavery from its early days.

“It makes sense that news media isn’t properly reflective of Black communities because it’s part of the system,” she says.