Under the White Gaze: Solving the Problem of Race and Representation in Canadian Journalism

A pointed look at how people of color are routinely missing, marginalized, or misrepresented in journalism, and an exploration of what can be done to make media more inclusive.

Canada’s multiculturalism stops where most newsrooms begin. Despite recent efforts to increase diversity, stories about people of color are often presented as cliches—from model minorities to keepers of exotic cultures—rather than individuals with complex stories.

For aspiring and seasoned journalists alike, and the schools shaping them, Under the White Gaze is a candid investigation into the state of race in Canadian media today. It is essential reading for anyone who cares about media representation.

Journalist Christopher Cheung wants newsrooms to stop treating racial and cultural coverage like a missing ingredient, to go beyond hiring racialized reporters to cover the "diversity beat," and to instead change how all journalists tell stories.

Under the White Gaze shows, in the Canadian context, why reporting on race is necessary, how the language is evolving, and why intersectionality increasingly matters in these stories. This book will change the way people think about the stories we create, read, watch, and listen to about Canadian society.

Christopher Cheung is a staff reporter at one of Canada’s best-known online news sources, The Tyee. He worked previously at Metro and the Vancouver Courier.