The Spry Memorial Lecture has been a consistent highlight in the School of Communication calendar since its inception in 1996. It is a joint initiative between SFU and the University of Montréal, named for Graham Spry, one of the pioneering advocates of Canadian public broadcasting. The lectures are generously supported by the Memorial Fund set up in his honour, and have a long history of tackling key issues facing Canadian media and its role in the national conversation. For the 2021 event, Spry joined with Media Democracy Days and the Digital Democracies Institute to bring together leading figures in Canadian media in conversation about race, media and building democracy in Canada.
Panelists Desmond Cole and Tanya Talaga, along with moderator Candis Callison, considered recent attention over the escalation of commentary on the representation of Indigenous, Black, and people of colour; the structural challenges that currently impede calls for greater diversity; and discuss how institutions and platforms can foster a more constructive dialogue. At a time when violent events internationally, nationally, and locally are making headlines on a frequent basis, the urgency of this panel was incontestable and it proved to be an unmissable event.
If you did miss it, luckily the lecture was recorded, and you can watch it here via the School of Communications’ YouTube Channel.
Thank you to leadership from Zoë Druick, Svitlana Matviyenko, Wendy Chun and Karrmen Crey for the original suggestions for panelists for such an event, and to Frederick Lesage, Stuart Poyntz, and Ahmed Al-Rawi for initial planning towards to Spry Lecture. The 2021 Spry Memorial Lecture could not have happened without this initial work, and the support received from the Digital Democracies Institute, Media Democracy Days, and Public Square. The event was part of Towards Equity, SFU Public Square’s 2021 Community Summit Series.