Jodi Rave, 8-13: Press isn't always free in Indian Country

By Jodi Rave, Lee Enterprises columnist | Saturday, August 13, 2005

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MISSOULA, Mont. - Publisher Tom Arviso argued a government shouldn't run a newspaper. And in an extraordinary show of support, Navajo Nation leaders agreed.

The nation agreed two years ago to grant the Navajo Times its independence and passed a resolution to invest a half-million dollars to establish the Navajo Times Publishing Co., a private news enterprise.

Unfortunately, Arviso - the company's CEO - has one of the few success stories in Indian Country where a tribe-owned newspaper broke its ties with the tribal government.

A free and independent press in Indian Country remains one of the most important - but least discussed - topics among tribal leaders. Most seem content to keep tribal papers around as public relations tools.

The Native American Journalists Association has long tried to change the status quo and continues to do so. The 600-member organization had dedicated its 21st annual convention this week - "A Free Press; A Free People" - in Lincoln, Neb., to free press issues.

By most accounts, if a tribal newspaper isn't operating free of a tribe's financial support, it's likely not part of a free press system. Rather, it exists to promote a tribal government's agenda.

It wouldn't be fair to be as harsh when talking about the role tribal journalists play in their communities. Many do their best to provide news to readers. But a problem exists when tribal government activity is kept under the radar.

This creates a zero-accountability factor. And it keeps tribal newspapers weak and tribal leaders in power.

Tribal editors need to be asking themselves questions about what a free press actually means to a tribal democracy.

Tribal leaders need to do the same.

Hopefully, tribal editors who attend the conference will be inspired to begin free press conversations when they return home. Free press concerns need to take a higher profile in Native communities. It can start with tribal news staffs and tribal leaders talking to each other.

The conversation needs to begin now.

For example, in a recent sample survey by the Harvard University Native American Program, less than one-quarter of tribal newspaper editors viewed their role as being a watchdog of tribal government. But one-third viewed their papers as public relations tools.

Fortunately, the idea of getting information to people supersedes all else, because three-quarters of editors surveyed felt their main duty was to report the news - just not news that would hold tribal leaders accountable.

This is a bad way to report the news, especially for those of us who long to read substantial news about the inner workings of our tribes.

Not all tribal reporters tow the line. The Navajo and Cherokee nations, two of the country's largest tribes, have helped bring attention to free press issues in Indian Country.

The Navajo Times now operates free of tribal finances and the Cherokee passed the Cherokee Independent Press Act in 2000.

Perhaps the most enlightening free press news in recent years centers on the National Congress of American Indians, which passed a free press resolution in 2003.

Native-related journalism issues deserve greater attention because mainstream and tribal press coverage need improvement.

Nieman Reports, a journalism magazine of Harvard's Nieman Foundation, will dedicate its fall issue to mainstream and tribal press coverage of Indian Country. About a dozen Native and non-Native reporters were asked to write about the the pros and cons of reporting on Native issues.

I offered thoughts on why the lack of tribal government transparency remains a travesty for tribal citizens.

First, on most reservations, tribal governments are typically the largest employer. This scenario, however, is changing on some tribal lands, where casinos now employ the most workers.

In each case, however, tribes are a critical component of the reservation economy and tribal leaders have great influence over hiring and firing tribal employees.

Tribal leaders' power is further maximized because of a lack of checks and balances. Tribal leaders can influence tribal court systems and wield power over judges and other matters of legal influence.

This type of control makes it difficult for editors to question daily tribal operations.

Consider this: 80 percent of tribal news sources surveyed said their publications received money from tribal government coffers. Nearly half of the editors said they received more than 75 percent their operating budget from the tribe.

The Native American Journalists Association - or a newly created media center - needs to develop a strategic plan to help editors who seek free press independence. This would help break the financial and paternal ties between their newspapers and tribal governments.

Only then will a free press have a valid meaning in Indian Country.

Jodi Rave covers American Indian issues for Lee Enterprises and the Missoula (Mont.) Missoulian. She can be reached at (406) 523-5299 or jodi.rave@missoulian.com.