Mainstream Media Needs More Native American Journalists

We don’t have a lot of Native American journalists at mainstream newspapers, and that’s a problem, especially because we may not be that large in number but the jurisdictional and economic power of tribes is so significant. In states that are the heart of Indian country, such as Montana, New Mexico, and Arizona, I can’t believe that the local newspapers don’t have any Native journalists on staff, not only as a measure of community building but also as a way to build relationships with these really important communities in their coverage areas.

There’s this desire in the industry to hire now, without any real investment at the ground level in developing talent. The Native American Journalists Association has great partners in media, but we need help to develop talents in college so they’re ready for jobs when it’s time. There are a lot of students who are interested, but the programs and the capacity to track and recruit them are not there.

http://niemanreports.org/articles/mainstream-media-needs-more-native-american-journalists/