Native American Journalists Association

Native American Journalists Association
Name	Native American Journalists Association
Formation	1984
Type	Nonprofit organization
Headquarters	Frazier Park, Oklahoma (formerly)
Location	United States
Language	English
Leader title	Executive Director
Leader name	(various)

Native American Journalists Association is a nonprofit professional organization serving Indigenous journalists in the United States and Canada. Founded in the 1980s, it provides training, advocacy, standards, and networking for reporters covering Indigenous communities, tribal governments, and cultural affairs. The association works alongside mainstream outlets and Indigenous media to influence coverage in outlets such as The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Guardian (London), NPR and CBC Television.

History

The association was established in 1984 amid debates involving Indian Civil Rights Act of 1968 implementation, reporting on events like the Wounded Knee incident and coverage of the American Indian Movement. Early founders drew inspiration from leaders associated with National Congress of American Indians, Native American Rights Fund, American Indian Policy Review Commission, Senate Committee on Indian Affairs hearings and journalists working for outlets such as Associated Press, Reuters, United Press International, and regional papers like The Arizona Republic and The Oregonian. In subsequent decades the organization intersected with coverage of the Indian Child Welfare Act, the Alcatraz occupation, the Taos Pueblo, and litigation involving Cobell v. Salazar. Its timeline overlaps investigative reporting on topics connected to Bureau of Indian Affairs, policy debates in the U.S. Department of the Interior, litigation before the United States Supreme Court, and cultural moments featuring figures like Winona LaDuke, Russell Means, Joy Harjo, Louise Erdrich, and Vine Deloria Jr..

Mission and Programs

The association's mission centers on improving coverage of Indigenous peoples and supporting journalists from communities including Navajo Nation, Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, Cherokee Nation, Sioux tribes, Lakota, Choctaw, Chippewa (Anishinaabe), Ute, Pueblo communities and First Nations such as Cree and Haida. Programs have included training workshops with partners like Poynter Institute, Society of Professional Journalists, Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, University of Missouri School of Journalism, and funding collaborations with foundations such as Ford Foundation, MacArthur Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation, and Open Society Foundations. Initiatives address reporting on issues tied to Dakota Access Pipeline protests at Standing Rock, environmental coverage involving Environmental Protection Agency actions, cultural reporting connected to institutions like Smithsonian Institution and National Museum of the American Indian, and legal reporting involving cases heard in courts including the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court of the United States.

Membership and Governance

Membership spans staffers at outlets from The Washington Post to tribal papers such as Lakota Times and community broadcasters like KUNM and KBOO. Members have included journalists who later worked for CNN, MSNBC, Fox News, The Associated Press, Reuters, and public media organizations such as NPR and CBC. Governance is carried out by a board drawn from journalists affiliated with institutions such as University of Oklahoma, University of New Mexico, Arizona State University, University of Arizona, and media organizations including Indian Country Today and college newsrooms tied to Haskell Indian Nations University. The organization has engaged with federal entities such as the National Endowment for the Humanities and state arts councils, and has partnered with nonprofit legal groups like American Civil Liberties Union on free-press issues.

Awards and Recognition

The association presents awards that recognize excellence in reporting on Indigenous issues, honoring work published in outlets from The New York Times and Los Angeles Times to tribal publications including Indian Country Today and the Cherokee Phoenix. Award categories have celebrated investigative projects, features, photography and broadcast work, and have sometimes highlighted reporters covering events like the Dakota Access Pipeline protests, environmental disputes near Bears Ears National Monument, and cultural pieces on artists such as Louise Erdrich, Sherman Alexie, Joy Harjo, Raven Chacon and Tanya Tagaq. Past honorees include journalists who went on to receive fellowships from Pulitzer Prize committees, awards from the National Press Club, and recognitions tied to organizations like the Investigative Reporters and Editors.

Conferences and Events

Annual conferences bring together journalists, editors, scholars and tribal leaders at venues ranging from tribal colleges to university campuses such as University of New Mexico, Arizona State University and University of Oklahoma. Sessions have featured speakers including tribal leaders from Navajo Nation and Cherokee Nation, academics from Stanford University and Harvard University, filmmakers screened at festivals like Sundance Film Festival, and discussions involving legal experts from law schools such as University of California, Berkeley School of Law and Yale Law School. Workshops address digital journalism tools in collaboration with organizations like Google News Initiative and training by entities including Poynter Institute.

Advocacy and Impact

The association advocates for accurate terminology and coverage in outlets such as The New York Times, Associated Press (AP) Stylebook, and Chicago Manual of Style discussions, and has influenced newsroom practices at local papers like The Arizona Republic and national broadcasters like NPR. Its advocacy intersects with campaigns involving tribal sovereignty matters in contexts such as disputes over Keystone XL pipeline and legal battles tied to McGirt v. Oklahoma. The organization has supported reporting that amplified voices from movements connected to figures like Deb Haaland and policy developments involving the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Department of the Interior.

Category:Professional associations