Tribal journalists severely limited in freedom of press

American Indian Media Today graphic; click on to enlarge.

Journalists on many Native American reservations face severe limits in freedom of the press, since tribal governments own (and many exert considerable control over) 72% of tribal newspapers and radio stations. The problem is even worse since there is often no other media outlet that covers local news, including government accountability reporting.

"As past president of the Native American Journalist’s Association, I witnessed many of my colleagues working for tribal press who were fired for performing even the basic journalistic duties such as publishing the tribal police blotter," Mary Annette Pember reports for The Daily Yonder. "One colleague was fired for reporting that a tribal council member was arrested for drunk driving; the editor was also fired for allowing her to report the fact."

Because tribes are sovereign nations, they're not governed by laws that guarantee American reporters access to open records or freedom of the press; many choose not to enact such laws for their tribal press, and those that have such laws sometimes don't abide by them, Pember writes. Tribal journalists who get stonewalled don't have much recourse, since tribes are immune to judicial proceedings without their consent or a Congressional waiver.

"Although the Indian Civil Rights Act of 1968 guarantees tribal citizens a free press immune from government influence, tribal governments' control of media’s purse strings acts as a potent deterrent to journalists looking to report the truth," Pember writes. Tribal newspapers might have more freedom from repercussions if they were financially independent, but some tribal leaders have found ways to retaliate or keep control of papers through withholding advertising. Since reservations are often remote, the tribal government can be a major customer and losing its ads could devastate a paper's bottom line.

Still, financial independence is possible, as the Navajo Times proves. Tom Arviso worked hard to help make it that way; when the paper was owned by the tribe, Arviso got fired for reporting on corruption within the tribal leadership, Pember writes. In 2004, the Times achieved independence from the tribe, and still publishes today.

Indian Country Today is another source of independent tribal news, but on a national level. The publication shut down in September 2017 because of financial pressures but rebooted in February 2018 with Mark Trahant of the Shoshone Bannock tribe as the editor. "Native people are eager for Indian Country Today’s survival for the simple reason that we desperately need authentic, informed coverage of Indian Country," Pember writes.