#JusticeforCindy: A content analysis of legacy and social media


Natalie Snow, Humber College; Brook Madigan, Independent

The current case study explores how Cindy Gladue was portrayed both in social media and news reports to better understand the public framing of violence against Indigenous women and the impacts of colonialism. The study sought to characterize the themes found in tweets and legacy news media about the Supreme Court of Canada case R v Barton. Cindy Gladue, a Cree, and Métis woman was murdered by Bradley Barton in 2011 and bled to death in a bathtub at the Yellowhead Inn in Edmonton (Amato, 2023). At trial, racist stereotypes plagued the courtroom with prosecutors and justice officials referring to her as a “native prostitute”, with narratives of victim blaming that ultimately tainted the jury’s verdict and allowed biases to consume the courtroom. Gladue’s preserved vaginal tissue was also presented in court during the trial which caused outrage as this dehumanized her further. Barton testified that the act was consensual (Amato, 2023). However, Barton was still found not guilty of first-degree murder. This verdict sparked outrage and calls for justice for Indigenous women across Canada. This case is just one of many examples of how Indigenous women in Canada continue to experience high rates of violence and yet, receive no proper justice due to systemic discrimination that still exists within the justice system. This is perpetrated by continued gendered and genocidal systems that are still deeply embedded within government structures.Media analysis was the methodology used in this article and was divided into two stages. Stage one incorporated a comprehensive search of the ProQuest Newstream database to find relevant press coverage. The second stage involved importing Tweets using 4 hashtags (#MMIW, #JusticeforCindy) referencing Cindy Gladue. The purpose of collecting two sources of data was to examine different types of news-generating forums and how this case was presented resulting in the public’s comprehension of the social issues encompassing Indigenous women and sex workers. Four primary themes emerged from the data set- newspaper articles and Tweets. The themes were sexual violence, seeking justice, system failures, and the positive characteristics of Cindy Gladue. The findings reinforced the bias present in the media presenting Cindy Gladue in a negative frame. However, the findings noted the need for formal action to ensure this never happens again. The case is exceptional due to the focus of the media on the victim, Cindy Gladue, rather than the legal aspects. An intersectionality framework was used to examine the intersections of Gladue’s identity (race, gender, class) and how that shaped her lack of protection from systemic discrimination in the trial before the courts, and how the media portrayed her as a victim. Adopting an intersectional perspective was important to understanding how Indigenous women face prejudice, discrimination, and barriers that go beyond their gender, and why they continue to face higher rates of gender-based violence than others (Thurston, 2022). Concepts of ideal victims were discussed in exploring the victimology within sexual violence. An ideal victim is described by scholars as a person or group who, when experiencing a crime, is given the complete and legitimate status of being a victim (Long, 2021). The process of becoming an ideal victim concerning crimes of sexual violence is biased, challenging, and at times, not accepted by criminal justice actors based on the perceived worthiness of the victim - most of the time for racialized women. This paper argues that the Canadian criminal justice system continues to fail to protect Indigenous women from violence, and systemic discrimination, and dehumanizes Indigenous victims. This treatment within the justice system extends into the media’s representation of Indigenous women as undeserving victims. Content and discourse analysis were employed to examine media sources in a two-stage process.

Non-presenting author: Arsala Khan, University of Arkansas at Little Rock

This paper will be presented at the following session: