Aides to Canada’s top Indigenous chief are alleged to have bullied female Indigenous journalists, according to a federal report given to a UN agency..Blacklock’s Reporter said the political aides worked alongside National Chief Perry Bellegarde..“Violence and intimidation against female Indigenous journalists can come from Indigenous political leaders, both male and female, when these journalists are looking into concerns over accountability in leadership,” said the report of the Canadian Commission to UNESCO, Half The Story Is Never Enough: Threats Facing Women Journalists..The November 18 report was formally released Monday by the Canadian Commission..Allegations against Bellegarde and others were penned by Karyn Pugliese, then-executive director at APTN of Winnipeg and former president of the Canadian Association of Journalists..Pugliese said APTN women reporters covering First Nations have had their car run off the road, been assaulted, received death threats and were “swarmed” at community meetings..She wrote one unidentified First Nations leader escorted an APTN reporter from a meeting and was “scolding her for ‘splashing our dirty laundry all over the place.’”.“Mi’kmaq reporter Amber Bernard had a similar experience on two occasions when trying to interview the Assembly of First Nations National Chief Perry Bellegarde at public events,” said the report..“On one occasion in 2018, an advisor pushed Bernard’s microphone. In 2019 another advisor physically blocked her and made physical contact with Bernard in order to prevent her from asking the National Chief questions.”.The report said other Indigenous journalists had encountered sexual harassment, “systemic racism” or been relegated to the “native beat” by editors..“Few mainstream newsrooms have hired Indigenous journalists, and the intersectionality of race and gender leads to harassment and discrimination on the job,” said the report..“It has been well documented that police in Canada use excessive force against Indigenous people who are protesting over unresolved land claims..“Because of the history of human rights abuses at these confrontations, journalists – usually those working for alternative media – try to be onsite to witness police actions.”.“As Indigenous people themselves, female Indigenous journalists expect to encounter discrimination from the police. The power in media still rests with men, in part because media companies are still mostly owned by men.”.Dave Naylor is the News Editor of the Western Standard.,dnaylor@westernstandardonline.com,.Twitter.com/nobby7694
