Hidden in plain sight: The Perceived Lack Of Indigenous Journalism
Maryem Hamdouni
Navajo Nation
Embedded Files
Hamdouni, Maryem. Yay!. August 2024. Author's personal collection.
“Navajo Nation Flag.” Infobase, Facts On File. American Indian History,
online.infobase.com/Auth/Index?aid=18626&itemid=WE43&iid=202375. Accessed 13 Sept. 2024.
Identity
“Navajo Jewelry Stand at the Grand Canyon.” Corbis, Facts On File.
How Place Names Impact The Way We See Landscape
B. Toastie
Memories and stories are connected to our land as described by B. Toastie in the article, “How Place Names Impact The Way We See Landscape,”. Through colonization, indigenous names are lost, and oftentimes, this leads to a dishonest view of Indigenous people. The back and forth, giving relationship between land and the native inhabitants are a key factor in this article, Toastie adds, “People are not central to the landscape, but rather are one component participating equally with other life forms.” Memories are tied to land, as you remember certain situations or scenes you were in when in a specific place. Overall, Toastie describes how the loss of Native names and stories results in a loss of identity.
Toastie, B. “How place names impact the way we see landscape.” High Country News: Know the West, 1 May 2022, https://www.hcn.org/issues/54.5/people-places-how-place-names-impact- the-way-we-see-landscape.
Okanagan Family Portrait, public domain, 1950
Sharing One Skin: The Okanagan Community
Jeanette Armstrong
In the article, “Sharing One Skin,” by Jeanette Armstrong, she discusses the point of view of the Okanagan People with regards to how to be connected to the land as well as the difference in identity and parts of self. The Okanagan, as well as many Indigenous people, are very connected to the land. Armstrong writes, “... without that connection to the environment, to the Earth, to what we actually are, to what humanity is, we lose our place, and confusion and chaos enter,” This demonstrates the aforementioned thought, they take pride in the way they take care of the place they live and actively see themselves as a part of it. In regards to identity, Armstrong discusses her connection to both sides of her family. The responsibility to her mothers side and the association to her fathers side. The four selves in the Okanagan identity are physical, emotional, thinking-intellectual, and spiritual. They each represent the many parts that make up one person. The article, overall, is about that–the parts that make up one whole person.
Armstrong, Jeanette. “Sharing One Skin: The Okanagan Community,” in Jerry Mander and Edward Goldsmith (eds), The Case Against the Global Economy. San Francisco, CA, Sierra Club Books, 1996. Pp 460-470.
“Hopi Children Attend Boarding School.” Corbis, Facts On File.
And Then I Went To School
Joseph Suina
“And Then I Went To School” by Joe Suina details Suinas’s experiences living in the 1950s in a New Mexican pueblo for his formative years. This later transforms into conflict when he has to go to a mostly non-native school away from his home. Suina emphasizes his discomfort then, as he writes, “It was never to be the same again.” In reference to his life, he knows that this new development was about to mark an extreme and lasting change in the way his life was about to go. From the new school, to the closeness of his family withering away as technological advancements take place, Suina was battling and attempting to navigate both his Native identity and the American way of life set in stone for Native youth.
Suina, Joseph “And I went to school” memories of a pueblo childhood,”. New Mexico Journal of Reading, Winter 1985, Vol. V, No.2.
History
Kauffman, Hattie. 1955-, creative commons license.
Writing the Years
Alex-Jon Earl
On the Indigenous side of things, the history of the Indigenous Journalists Association (IJA) is shared by Alex-Jon Earl in the article, “Writing the Years”. The origins of (formerly) NAJA, the Native American Journalists Association, now IJA, start with the legacy of Native American storytelling, whether that be orally or through writing. Earl writes, “Newspapers have come and gone, but Native Americans haven’t stopped writing.” Despite the digital age creeping in and the lack of reading as a whole, Native Americans have not stopped sharing stories. Ultimately, that’s what this article is about; from the brief start and fizzle in the 1970s, to the multiple changes in leadership and name, Native journalists have not stopped. Even today, IJA continues to uplift Native American journalists and students so that the stories never stop.
Earl, A. (2018, November 21). Writing the years. New site for the IJA name change! https://najanewsroom.com/writing-the-years/
Indian Country Today. Sep. 4, 2002 issue.
New Journalism
Britannica
Taking a step back, in the 1960s to 1970s, a new American literary movement took the world of journalism by storm. In the article, "New Journalism” found on Britannica, it shares the origins of the new literary movement that intertwines the news and fiction storytelling devices. This gives to a more compelling read that, though many were left skepitcal of, is an eyecathcing way of spreading and sharing the news. Many people at the time, and even today, believe that this way of sharing the news will leave room for misinterpretation or even misinformation on the authors part; on this point of contention, the article writes, “A responsible journalist could write a true story that read like a novel.” showing that the only aspect needed in this is care. All in all, new journalism is about the development of storytelling as well as the marriage between the truth and creativity.
"New Journalism." Britannica School, Encyclopædia Britannica, 14 Nov. 2013. school-eb-com.sfis.idm.oclc.org/levels/high/article/New-Journalism/605211. Accessed 4 Oct. 2024.
Photo: Roger H. Goun on Flickr | Creative Commons license.
Journalism
Britannica
Stepping into the gateway, we get to the history of journalism, as written by Britannica in the article, “Journalism”. It goes over the profession, first instances of journalism, and the current status of journalism in the world. Journalism has been with humanity for so long, since there was news to share, “The core of journalism has always been the news.” Sharing the news is the reason for its existence. That will always be the case, though our priorities in society have changed. As well as the development of technology and the pace of news and, on that note, fake news. All in all, the article simply shared the realities of the news, from 59 BCE gossip sheets to 2024 CE debates on Fox News.
"Journalism." Britannica School, Encyclopædia Britannica, 15 Jul. 2024. school-eb-com.sfis.idm.oclc.org/levels/high/article/journalism/44030. Accessed 4 Oct. 2024.
Current State Of The Issue
Jeff Haller. “Davis Washines during a News Conference.” AP Images, Facts On File. American Indian History, online.infobase.com/Auth/Index?aid=18626&itemid=WE43&iid=147310. Accessed 26 Feb. 2025.
The Crisis In Covering Indian Country
Jenni Monet
In her opinion piece, “The Crisis In Covering Indian Country”, Jenni Monet details the problems in reporting on Native lives. There’s a lack of Natives telling their stories–due to what is believed to be a lack of journalist education in Native communities–leading to incomplete narratives being spread to the world. Aside from the lack of Native journalists, stories being told by non-Natives are subpar. Monet writes, “...the crisis is not just about the stories that aren’t told, but the stories that are told poorly.” stating that the way Natives are represented isn’t accurate. Overall, Native American journalism is far from perfect and there is a lot of work to be done.
Monet, Jenni. “The Crisis in Covering Indian Country.” Columbia Journalism Review, 19 Mar. 2019, www.cjr.org/opinion/indigenous-journalism-erasure.php.
“Page from Navajo Language Newsletter Adahooniligii.” Getty Images, Facts On File. American Indian History, online.infobase.com/Auth/Index?aid=18626&itemid=WE43&iid=194432. Accessed 26 Feb. 2025.
Five Pressures Facing Indigenous Journalists (and what to do about it)
Bridget Brennan
The article, “Five Pressures Facing Indigenous Journalists (and what to do about it)”, discusses the struggles that Indigenous journalists are facing today. The author, Bridget Brennan, interviewed Indigenous journalists and was able to break down some of the issues in the field. These challenges include pitching the story and moral injury; pitching the story is pitching your importance in this field. Brennan writes, “Imagine having to plead your own humanity,” as Native American stories are often deemed “too-hard” to be greenlit. This as well as the moral plow Native journalists face when covering tragic, though culturally relevant, stories. The article simply sheds light on the problems happening in the newsroom.
Brennan, Bridget. “Five Pressures Facing Indigenous Journalists (and What to Do about It).” Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, 16 Jan. 2024, reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/five-pressures-facing-indigenous-journalists-and-what-do-about-it#:~:text=He%20said%20Indigenous%20reporters%20are,why%20a%20story%20is%20important.%E2%80%9D.
Global Connections
PICRYL - Public Domain Media Search Engine. “A Mogadishu Offiicial Tastes the Water at a New Well Donated by the African Union Mission in Somalia in Front of Local Journalists in the Country’s Capital on June 6. AMISOM Photo - Tobin Jones (14328499146) - Picryl - Public Domain Media Search Engine Public Domain Search.” PICRYL, 5 June 2014, picryl.com/media/a-mogadishu-offiicial-tastes-the-water-at-a-new-well-donated-by-the-african-a7cfc9.
Media in the Middle East and North Africa
Ralph Berenger
“Media in the Middle East and North Africa” by Ralph Berenger provides an in depth analysis of the role and evolution of media in the region, focusing on the political and cultural elements that shape it. The chapter looks at the influence of government control, censorship, and state-run media, paired with the rise of independent journalism and digital media. Berenger also explores the varieties of media, such as print, digital, broadcast, etc., as well as the role of social media in shaping public opinion and discourse. He writes, “The digital age has opened up new spaces for expression and debate, but it has also created new challenges in the form of censorship and surveillance,” showing the pros and cons of social media in journalism. Overall, the state of journalism, for native SWANA (South West Asians/North Africans), is in a scary place, but improvements are being made and are clearer everyday.
Barro, Victor. Friends of the Earth. 2023.
We Cracked a Hole In This Very White Structure: Indigenous Journalism Practices in Mainstream Australian News Organizations
Archie Thomas
The article, “We Cracked a Hole In This Very White Structure: Indigenous Journalism Practices in Mainstream Australian News Organizations” explores the struggles of Indigenous journalists working in mainstream Australian news. It emphasizes the pushback against colonial mindsets in the region and field, while continuing to spread stories of Indigenous communities in and honest and informative way. There’s been an increase in the number of Indigenous journalists in the area, and despite pushback, it’s been seen that the storytelling they do has been beneficial to their communities. As one journalist contributing to the article writes, “We’re not adding diversity for the sake of just doing it–we’re shifting the ways stories are told, and who’s telling them.”
Booth, Amy. “The Latin America Stories We’re Watching in 2022.” The Latin America Stories We’re Watching in 2022, Pirate Wire Services, 7 Jan. 2022, www.piratewireservices.com/p/the-latin-america-stories-were-watching.
Violence Against Indigenous Journalists in Colombia and Latin America
Ray Krøvel
Ray Krøvel’s article, “Violence Against Indigenous Journalists in Colombia and Latin America” he speaks about the systemic violence against Indigenous “communicators” in Colombia and Latin America. A lot of these problems stems from the exploitation and abuse that Indigenous Journalists uncover, which gives them powerful enemies. Krøvel writes, “The problems of Indigenous journalists have been compounded by the fact that Latin American justice systems in general have been influenced in so many ways to support the powerful over the poor and excluded.” emphasizing the systemic problems that end up endangering Indigenous journalists. The violence that Indigenous journalists experience range from threats, to unwarranted arrests, gun violence, bombings, etc. The safety measures are few and far between, utilizing security guards and simply trying not to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Personal Connection
I was going back and forth between Indigenous journalism and a topic discussing disordered eating. I ultimately decided on my topic of journalism after some deep reflection because journalism is my passion. I have been wanting to be a journalist since as long as I can remember and I only take accelerated English classes and extracurriculars so I can be the most eloquent and well spoken I can possibly be when I finally get to that point where I can write for a paper or news broadcast. Another reason that I chose this topic is because I hardly ever see Indigenous people working in this field in the mainstream media. Of course in my time here at SFIS I have been introduced to Native owned and centered news sources, but that's the problem, they had to be pointed out. I would love nothing more than to inspire younger generations of Native kids to invest themselves in journalism and break into those fields on a bigger, louder scale.
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