title: How does the media portray drinking water security in Indigenous communities in Canada? An analysis of Canadian newspaper coverage from 2000-2015.
abstract: Drinking water insecurity and related health outcomes often disproportionately impact Indigenous communities internationally. Understanding media coverage of these water-related issues can provide insight into the ways in which public perceptions are shaped, with potential implications for decision-making and action. This study aimed to examine the extent, range, and nature of newspaper coverage of drinking water security in Canadian Indigenous communities.
  
  
  
  Using ProQuest database, we systematically searched for and screened newspaper articles published from 2000 to 2015 from Canadian newspapers: Windspeaker, Toronto Star, The Globe and Mail, and National Post. We conducted descriptive quantitative analysis and thematic qualitative analysis on relevant articles to characterize framing and trends in coverage.
  
  
  
  A total of 1382 articles were returned in the search, of which 256 articles were identified as relevant. There was limited coverage of water challenges for Canadian Indigenous communities, especially for Métis (5%) and Inuit (3%) communities. Most stories focused on government responses to water-related issues, and less often covered preventative measures such as source water protection. Overall, Indigenous peoples were quoted the most often. Double-standards of water quality between Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities, along with conflict and cooperation efforts between stakeholders were emphasized in many articles.
  
  
  
  Limited media coverage could undermine public and stakeholder interest in addressing water-related issues faced by many Canadian Indigenous communities.
authors.affiliation: Department of Population Medicine, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Rd E, Guelph, ON, N1G 2W1, Canada. lams@uoguelph.ca.
authors.forename: Steven
authors.identifier: 0000-0001-7279-6165
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lam
authors.affiliation: Labrador Institute of Memorial University, Happy Valley-Goose Bay, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.
authors.forename: Ashlee
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cunsolo
authors.affiliation: Department of Population Medicine, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Rd E, Guelph, ON, N1G 2W1, Canada.
authors.forename: Alexandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sawatzky
authors.affiliation: Department of Geography, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.
authors.forename: James
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ford
authors.affiliation: Department of Population Medicine, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Rd E, Guelph, ON, N1G 2W1, Canada. harpers@uoguelph.ca.
authors.forename: Sherilee L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Harper
mesh_terms: D002170:Canada; D003153:Community Health Services; D060766:Drinking Water; D006801:Humans; D008402:Mass Media; D044382:Population Groups; D012424:Rural Population; D012934:Social Isolation
chemical_list: D060766:Drinking Water
keywords: Canada; Drinking water; First Nation; Indigenous; Inuit; Media; Métis; Newspaper; Systematic review; Water security