NAJA demands retraction of "Cowboys Scalp Indians" headline

Michael Brooks, a sports writer for the Jackson County Herald-Tribune, recently authored a story headlined “Cowboys Scalp Indians” posted to the jacksonconews.com website. This headline marks a significant lapse in ethical judgement on the part of the writer and editorial staff.

“Cowboys Scalp Indians” is a reference to a time in US history when Indigenous people were hunted for bounty, and when the genocidal practice of violently annihilating Native communities was federal policy. Read more here.

Democracy Fund releases American Indian Media Today report

The report, authored by NAJA member Jodi Rave of the Indigenous Media Freedom Alliance, provides a snapshot of the challenges and accomplishments of contemporary Native media.

It examines Native media in the 21st Century as told in interviews with journalists and media practitioners of independent reporting—meaning their operation is not owned, controlled or overseen by a tribe or a tribe-appointed communications board. The independent media voices here have expressed the importance of delivering independent-driven news so as to better inform their community, often doing the work with a limited budget; they also stress the need for more journalists who have appropriate media skills to report on current events.

NAJA asserts that repeal of free press protections violates human rights

As nations around the world move to provide protections for news, information and freedom of opinion, the Muscogee (Creek) Nation has instead chosen an American path: one that more closely resembles the actions and rhetoric of U.S. President Donald Trump who has restricted press access and labeled journalists as enemies of the people.