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Nelson is now the assignment editor for CTV Regina as well as the long-time producer of Indigenous Circle.
The news media has made significant strides in Aboriginal reporting during a time that the media itself has been reduced.
I recall when I first began working in the province, many news outlets didn’t have a specific reporter assigned to Indigenous issues. We had to work with whoever was available that day. Knowledge of Indigenous issues was spotty at best and we were constantly teaching people how to pronounce First Nations names, like Muscowpetung, Muskowekwan and Makwa Sahgaiehan.
Meanwhile, our population grew from 36,000 in 1970 to over 140,000 today and we couldn’t be ignored.
At the same time, the size of the newsrooms were shrinking fast. I recall once working on a program at CKCK Regina when 14 staff were laid off including my editor. In the 1990s the editorial staff at the Leader-Post and the StarPhoenix fell victim to Conrad Black’s cost-cutting measures and newsrooms saw sharp cuts.
Tom Roberts was the voice of Northern Saskatchewan from his perch high above Robertson’s Trading in La Ronge until the CBC shut down its northern broadcasting centre. I know his office was in the clouds because he once told me that he had to climb 13 flights of stairs to get there.
Today, Northern Saskatchewan is well served by Missinipi Broadcasting which served the north in the Cree, Dene, and English languages. Under the leadership of CEO Deborah Charles, Willie Billette, Charly Durocher and Abel Charles report the news in their own language.
