Peter Klein

Professor

Faculty of Arts

Research Interests

Global Journalism

Innovation in Journalism

Documentary Production

Investigative Reporting

Relevant Thesis-Based Degree Programs

Journalism, Master of Journalism

View all programs

Affiliations to Research Centres, Institutes & Clusters

Centre for Migration Studies

Graduate Student Supervision

Master's Student Supervision

Theses completed in 2010 or later are listed below. Please note that there is a 6-12 month delay to add the latest theses.

Constructing the Ring of Fire: the journalist's story (2021)

Situated deep in the homelands of First Nations in Treaty 9 territory in the James Bay Lowlands of northern Ontario, the Ring of Fire is a mineral-rich area discovered in 2007 and quickly declared by politicians and mining companies as Canada’s “next oilsands” and “the most promising mineral development opportunity in Ontario in over a century.” These bold declarations have been repeated over and again by political and economic actors, often without critical interrogation by journalists reporting on the mineral discovery. This begs the research question: how does the news media shape and construct the understanding of natural resource extraction projects within the Canadian context? Set within a complex web of competing claim-makers in the resource periphery of northern Ontario, this thesis conducts a content analysis of digital news stories published about the Ring of Fire by the publicly funded Canadian Broadcasting Corporation between 2010 and 2018. The research finds that overwhelmingly the Ring of Fire is constructed by journalists as an economic opportunity promising jobs, increased access to transportation and improvement of quality of life for Indigenous and non-Indigenous inhabitants of the area, and a project dependent on political action. But this is the picture painted largely by male, non-Indigenous, political or economic elites, as the major sources quoted in coverage largely driven by political and economic events, announcements and activities, as opposed to original, critical journalism. This relative lack of diverse perspectives, sources and drivers of coverage raises difficult questions for Canadian journalists reporting on a divisive industry with social, health, economic, ecological and legal implications. It pushes practicing journalists to re-consider how their coverage constructs the public imaginary of place, natural resources, and resource peripheries in Canada.

View record

If this is your researcher profile you can log in to the Faculty & Staff portal to update your details and provide recruitment preferences.

Peter Klein's Profile

Membership Status

Member of G+PS

View explanation of statuses

Program Affiliations

Journalism

Academic Unit(s)

School of Journalism, Writing, and Media

Research Interests

Relevant Thesis-Based Degree Programs

Affiliations to Research Centres, Institutes & Clusters

Recruitment

Complete these steps before you reach out to a faculty member!

Check requirements

Focus your search

Make a good impression

Attend an information session

ADVICE AND INSIGHTS FROM UBC FACULTY ON REACHING OUT TO SUPERVISORS

Graduate Student Supervision

Master's Student Supervision

Membership Status

Program Affiliations

Academic Unit(s)

Planning to do a research degree? Use our expert search to find a potential supervisor!