The Expositor and other mainstream media came under fire this week for their coverage of native issues. A group called T. R. U. E. (Two Row Understanding through Education) took non-native newspapers and electronic media to task.
T. R. U. E. advocates the Six Nations' point of view. Thursday's three-hour meeting was MCed by Jim Windle, a reporter for the Six Nations' weekly newspaper, Tekawennake.
The group has been holding monthly meetings in Brantford with the goal of educating non-natives about the Six Nations' perspective. We support this goal. Better understanding on all sides is essential to achieve long-term resolution of land claims.
But Thursday's meeting, attended by more than 100 people in downtown Brantford, was far from an objective discussion about the media. Three of four panelists worked for, or had worked for, Six Nations' two weekly newspapers or its radio station. The fourth panelist was an "activist with a video camera" who is putting together a film about events in Caledonia.
The mainstream media was not represented on the panel. However, The Expositor's managing editor, David Judd, was allowed to speak in response to criticism of the newspaper's coverage of the land claims issue.
The Expositor agrees that the media help shape public opinion. That's why The Expositor takes seriously its mandate to report the news of our community, which includes Brantford, Brant County, Six Nations and New Credit.
Our stories and photos strive to be accurate, fair and balanced. We're not perfect. When we're wrong, we acknowledge our mistakes.
The Expositor has covered native land claims and other news from Six Nations long before the Caledonia crisis began more than two years ago. Natives writers contribute to our pages.
The Expositor provides a forum for discussion. Our Opinion page publishes letters from a wide range of viewpoints, including native people.
The Expositor advocates for our community, including Six Nations. We want a fair and peaceful resolution of land claims. To that end, we support the exploration of ideas proposed by the Haldimand Tract Good Neighbours Coalition.
Government foot-dragging over the years is the main reason the crisis has emerged. We urge the federal and provincial governments to make the resolution of Six Nations' land claims a priority.
At the same time, punishing Brantford for the mistakes of other governments is not right. Breaking the law is unacceptable.
We urge the government and native negotiators to return to the table and get moving on a deal.
We appreciate the frustrations of Six Nations people and their supporters. We commend T. R. U. E.'s efforts to increase understanding. However, one-sided meetings are not the best way to do that.