Angela Sterritt

Asper Fellow in Media
January 1, 2022 - April 20, 2022

Photo of Angela SterrittThe Faculty of Information & Media Studies is pleased to announce that Angela Sterritt, an award-winning multimedia journalist, author and visual artist, has been named as the 2022 FIMS Asper Fellow. A member of the Gitxsan nation, Sterritt is based in Vancouver and has worked at the CBC since 2003. She brings an enormous wealth of expertise and experience to the appointment and will be an invaluable resource for students in the Master of Media in Journalism & Communication (MMJC) program over the winter term.

Sterritt will teach a graduate course titled “Decolonization, Reciprocity and Healing,” focused on reporting and storytelling. The class will analyze news coverage of Indigenous people to examine how colonization has been normalized and what role the media plays in that. Students will learn ways to build meaningful relationships with Indigenous communities and gain an understanding of how the current standards and practices of journalism can be at odds with that goal. Over the course of the semester, students will discuss prominent issues related to residential schools, land dispossession, racism and missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls and two spirit people.

“I am super excited for this course and fellowship and what I hope will be a very engaging experience, where I will learn from the students, and they learn from me,” says Sterritt.

“We are in the very early stages of learning about the truth of our country and the Indigenous people who've been here since time immemorial and I truly hope that together, we can move forward with better tools and skills to keep uncovering the truth and to afford Indigenous people the dignity and compassion that we show others in our stories.”

Sterritt brings her depth of professional experience to the role of instructor. Though she’s based in Vancouver, her journalism crosses territories and communities across Canada.

“My focus, for the last several years, has been on Indigenous people, their lands, and their concerns,” she says.

“Bringing my students the national and innately Indigenous perspective, will help those from anywhere in the country and even internationally. I hope, with all my heart that the students learn how to better respect, understand and cover Indigenous people and our stories."

Sterritt’s work has appeared across CBC platforms including television, radio and online. She has also published in the Globe and Mail and various other local and national news programs. A recipient of numerous awards, she most recently received a 2021 Canadian Screen Award for Best Reporter of the Year for her story about an Indigenous grandfather and his young granddaughter who were handcuffed by police when they tried to open a new account at a BMO branch in Vancouver. She has reported extensively on Indigenous affairs in British Columbia and has produced content related to the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG), truth and reconciliation, the TransMountain Pipeline and other areas of critical inquiry. She is also an accomplished visual artist and graphic designer and has exhibited her original paintings nationally and internationally.

Sterritt’s appointment as Asper Fellow will run from January 1 – April 30, 2022.

Image credit: Farah Nosh