Liberate America's Tribal Media

Native community must pressure leaders for a more independent press

by Jodi Rave

For many years, ordinary Native people have rarely received much positive news coverage in the mainstream media. It's usually their stereotypical association with casinos, alcohol or poverty that net them space on the front page. And while many tribal newspapers print well-written stories about ordinary Native people, tribal press reporters seldom have the opportunity to write the controversial stories that affect their communities.

That's because tribal governments own the majority of tribal newspapers in this country. In other words, tribal governments can abridge the freedom of speech and the press. The First Amendment does not exist in much of Indian Country. Imagine if a mayor and the city council owned the local newspaper. If that were the case, residents would lack an effective government watchdog, rarely receive factual breaking news, and not be aware of the complexities associated with running a government.

As citizens, holding city leaders accountable for their actions would be difficult because we would not know what they really do behind closed doors. Those are the freedoms we enjoy with a free and uninhibited press. On a trip to the Flathead Reservation in western Montana a few weeks ago, I stopped by the tribal newspaper office to meet some of the staff at the award-winning Char-Koosta News.

I asked if the tribe had a public relations office.

They looked at each other straight-faced.

The publisher, an excellent writer, replied: "That would probably be us." Her insightful reply made us all laugh.

Last month, Mark Trahant, a Native journalist and chairman and CEO of the Robert C. Maynard Institute for Journalism Education in Oakland, Calif., and I were guests on Native America Calling, a national radio talk show. The topic of the show: How can media coverage of Native people be improved?

It's a good question deserving of a two-part answer.

First, the mainstream media still have a lot of work to do regarding their coverage of tribal people in both urban and reservation communities. They also have a lot of work to do in recruiting and retaining Native journalists and in providing good work environments for them.

Meanwhile, Native people ó- or any community of color, for that matter ó- must take a more active role in getting to know their local newspaper. Once that connection is established, it's a lot easier to pick up the phone or fax a note to a newspaper, radio or television station to inform them of community events and issues.

Part two of the answer seems pretty simple: While some tribes feel they aren't getting a fair shake by the mainstream press, they aren't giving themselves one either. Since most tribal newspapers are owned by the tribe, the people who read those newspapers never really know the state of tribal government.

It's not unusual for tribal press readers to see frequent front-page photos of a tribal chairman shaking hands and kissing babies. As for the real news, readers are left with words flying from the rumor mill. Many problems that plague Native people today would be rectified by better-trained Native journalists taking a truthful look at the people operating tribal governments and programs.

Tribal leaders owe it to their communities to separate themselves from daily news operations. The easy way to do that would be to amend tribal constitutions. Most Americans likely don't know that many of the 550 federally recognized tribes in this country operate under a constitution, based on one much like the U.S. Constitution.

Last year, leaders of the Cherokee Nation, one of the largest tribes in the country, took a bold and much-needed step when they voted to amend their tribal constitution. The amendment supports a tribal press free of government influence.

Tribal leaders everywhere should take note.

Until that happens, it seems the mainstream press will be left to tackle the tough issues on reservations where a free press doesn't exist.

Based at the Lincoln (Nebraska) Journal Star, Jodi Rave is a regional reporter for Lee Enterprises covering the Native news beat for 21 daily newspapers in nearly 10 states. She can be reached by e-mail at jrave@journalstar.com.