Nasim Omidian Sijani

Alum (PhD ALDS/24)

I recently taught COMS 2300, Communication as Propaganda, as a contract instructor and hope to teach more courses in the future. In terms of research, I am building upon the findings of my previous research focused on the Canadian media portrayal of Syrian refugees, and I’m comparing it with the representation of Ukrainian refugees in the national newspapers. The preliminary findings show that although both groups of refugees were welcomed and represented positively, the Ukrainians were represented as more than just “refugees” and more belonging to Canadian society, emphasizing their family ties and background to Canada. While the observed difference in the coverage of the two groups of refugees can be related to the effect of geopolitical situations where refugees come from, the representation of refugees from a European and “Christian” country raises questions about whether Canadian media intentionally or unintentionally engages in preferential treatment of refugees from certain regions.