Native American Journalists Association


I reviewed the website for the Native American Journalists Association (NAJA). Something I found interesting about NAJA is that they focus on supporting both native media sources and native journalists working in mainstream media. I think it is meant to convey a communal perspective about what is best for native journalists and media, and what challenges they face, as well as how those interests can support native culture (NAJA).

I think this web resource was selected because the course is moving towards covering contemporary native life, and media depictions (or merely the amount of media coverage) of native people, culture, and movements play a role in how history will continue to be written. I don’t think this site is a quality academic website, but I believe that’s because the intention of the site isn’t to be academic but to serve as a landing page for members of the organization. Indeed, it offers memberships and provides information about awards.

Something that I found interesting was that it also critiques native governments for limiting the freedom of some newspapers. A common theme each time I read the materials in this course is that I’m reminded of the complexity of all cultures. In my first reflexivity exercise, I wrote that Everything You Wanted to Know About Indians But Were Afraid to Ask made me realize that my belief that there weren’t many native people in the 21st century could not be more wrong. It is horrible that my views are still so simplistic, but I am actively trying to change that. When I approached this source, I did not even realize that it might be fighting for freedom of the press within native communities as well as accurate representation of native people outside of those communities. I’ve really enjoyed the way I’m forced to confront these facts and personal beliefs as I continue to learn.

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Native American Journalists Association, 2018, www.naja.com/.


Comments

  1. Christopher O'ConnorNovember 18, 2018 at 7:01 AM

    This is an interesting point about tribal newspapers and their right for freedom of press. There have been quite a few editors and reporters who have lost their job for covering issues concerning Native American tribes.

    A main issue is that tribes are exempt from the Freedom of Information Act, so obtaining documents most other media outlets can easily obtain is essentially impossible (Krol).

    Two well known cases include Tom Ariviso and his staff at the Navajo Times being fired for reporting on corruption within the government and Lori Edmo who was fired as editor of Sho-Ban News for reporting on a campaign at the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes.

    According to the article below, four tribal media outlets operate under free press ordinances: the Cherokee Phoenix, Smoke Signals, Mvskoke Media and the Osage (Krol).

    The other tribal media outlets that are free of government controls and are independent media outlets are News From Indian Country, Tribal Business Journal, Native Business Magazine, News From Native California, and Native Sun News.

    Clearly we can not think tribes can report on themselves and be honest. Citizens need to make a push to ensure freedom of press in their media

    Krol, Debra. “Native American Journalists Long-Standing Fight for a Free Press.” IndianCountryToday.com, Indian Country Today, 11 Sept. 2018, newsmaven.io/indiancountrytoday/news/native-american-journalists-long-standing-fight-for-a-free-press-69FyAsZrlEOpcU-t5mkQMg/.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yakira KellmanNovember 18, 2018 at 6:48 PM

      Christopher,

      This is really interesting information. Thanks for sharing it with me. It's certainly crucial that in any society, we guarantee freedom of the press. Holding those in power publicly accountable is key to ensuring that we prevent corruption, or stop it before it gets out of hand.

      That fact about the Freedom of Information Act is especially interesting to me. I avidly follow the news and FOIA has been a big deal in New York City recently because of a large batch of emails from our mayor's office that was released to the press because of the law. While I of course support the right of native nations to live in a sovereign manner, I really do wish this law applied. It's so important!

      Delete
  2. Toy Robot StaffNovember 18, 2018 at 5:41 PM

    This comment has been removed by the author.

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    Replies
    1. Alex KackNovember 18, 2018 at 5:44 PM

      I thought it was a very interesting point that tribal governments have been accused of limiting journalistic freedoms. It provides an interesting insight into tribal politics as well as the relation between Native Tribal groups and the U.S. constitution and federal law.

      Delete
    2. Yakira KellmanNovember 18, 2018 at 6:48 PM

      I agree! But I suppose people in power will always act in a manner that protects their positions.

      Delete
    3. Malgorzata SiatkowskaNovember 18, 2018 at 8:17 PM

      I didn't think that tribal journalists might face the problem of expressing their opinions within their communities. I guess the some insight issues are not welcomed by the tribal governments to be seen by the outsiders. The web site also mentioned the fight for Native American journalists to be able to represent their tribes in the mainstream newspapers as well and I think that it is very important for the voices to be heard by the non-native Americans.

      Delete

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