National Native News

National Native News is a daily radio news program focused on Indigenous peoples, Indigenous nations, tribal sovereignty, and Native American affairs in the United States and Canada. The program covers topics such as tribal elections, treaty rights, natural resource disputes, cultural revitalization, and legal decisions affecting Indigenous communities. It serves as a source for public radio stations, tribal stations, and community broadcasters, emphasizing reporting on events involving the Navajo Nation, Lakota, Ojibwe, Cherokee, and many other nations.

History

Launched in 1987, the program emerged amid debates over media representation involving the American Indian Movement, Bureau of Indian Affairs actions, and the aftermath of events like the Wounded Knee Incident and the Longest Walk. Early coverage intersected with developments such as the Indian Child Welfare Act, the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act, and federal court rulings including McGirt v. Oklahoma. Founders and early producers drew on networks that included tribal councils, Native American Rights Fund advocates, and broadcasters connected to stations like KUNI, KUER, KBOO, and KJZZ. Over ensuing decades the program reported on milestones including the Cobell litigation, Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park disputes, the Standing Rock protests against the Dakota Access Pipeline, and Alaska Native corporate cases involving the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act.

Programming and Content

The program produces short-form news segments focused on tribal governance, treaty interpretations, Bureau of Indian Affairs oversight, Indigenous health crises including tuberculosis and COVID-19 impacts on reservations, cultural repatriation under the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, and environmental issues tied to places such as Bears Ears, Grand Staircase-Escalante, and the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Reporters cover legal decisions from the Supreme Court of the United States, the Ninth Circuit, and the Tenth Circuit, as well as legislative action in the United States Congress and state legislatures. Stories often feature leaders and organizations like the National Congress of American Indians, Native American Rights Fund, American Indian College Fund, National Indian Education Association, and tribal universities such as Navajo Technical University. Cultural programming highlights artists, writers, and filmmakers connected to institutions such as the Heard Museum, Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian, Sundance Film Festival, and Tulsa Race Massacre commemorations.

Distribution and Affiliates

Distributed to public radio and community stations, the program is carried by networks including National Public Radio affiliates, Pacifica stations, Alaska Public Media, and tribal radio networks such as Native Public Media, Koahnic Broadcast Corporation, and the Intertribal Friendship House network. Affiliates range from large market stations like KUOW, KEXP, KQED, and WNYC to reservation-based stations including KVNQ, KILI, KGVA, and KWRZ. Partnerships and content exchanges have involved organizations such as the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, Public Radio International, Native American Public Telecommunications, and university stations at institutions like the University of New Mexico, University of Arizona, and University of Alaska Fairbanks.

Funding and Governance

Funding sources have included grants from foundations active in Indigenous philanthropy such as the Ford Foundation, W.K. Kellogg Foundation, Rockefeller Brothers Fund, and the Mellon Foundation, along with support from tribal governments, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and individual donors. Governance involves a board and editorial leadership that have interacted with entities like the National Congress of American Indians, Indian Health Service officials, and tribal public affairs offices. Editorial standards align reporting practices comparable to public broadcasting ethics and journalistic associations such as the Native American Journalists Association and the Society of Professional Journalists, while navigating federal grant compliance with agencies like the National Endowment for the Arts and the Department of the Interior in matters of cultural grants.

Impact and Recognition

The program has been cited in coverage by major outlets including The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Guardian for reporting on issues such as pipeline protests, Indian child welfare litigation, and tribal court decisions. It has received awards and recognition from organizations like the Native American Journalists Association, the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights reporting awards, and regional public media awards. Reporting has influenced public debate around landmark developments involving the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act disputes, tribal-state compacts for gaming under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, and conservation measures in collaboration with groups such as the Sierra Club and The Nature Conservancy. The program remains a resource for community leaders, scholars at institutions like Harvard Native American Program and the University of Arizona American Indian Studies, and activists engaged with movements including Idle No More and Red Power activism.

Category:Native American radio Category:American news radio programs