The Native American Journalists Association, based in

Norman, Oklahoma Norman () is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Oklahoma, with a population of 128,097 as of 2021. It is the largest city and the county seat of Cleveland County, Oklahoma, Cleveland County, and the second-largest city in the Oklahoma C ...

, on the campus of the

University of Oklahoma The University of Oklahoma (OU) is a Public university, public research university in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it had existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two Territories became the state of Oklahom ...

, is an organization dedicated to supporting Native Americans in

journalism Journalism is the production and distribution of reports on the interaction of events, facts, ideas, and people that are the "news of the day" and that informs society to at least some degree. The word, a noun, applies to the occupation (profes ...

. The organization hosts the annual National Native Media Awards.

Mission and structure

The organization seeks to improve the representation of Native Americans in newsrooms and in the profession of

, NAJA is a member group of UNITY: Journalists of Color, Inc. Each year, the organization recognizes Native American journalists and associate members with journalism awards for excellence in coverage on a variety of topic areas. NAJA hosts workshops and conferences to teach and share the journalistic skills necessary to cover issues in and about Indian Country. Francine Compton, assignment producer for CBC Indigenous, is the current president. Student chapters are located at the

University of Arizona The University of Arizona (Arizona, U of A, UArizona, or UA) is a public land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it was the first university in the Arizona Territory. T ...

and

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

Background

The association was founded as the ''Native American Press Association'' in 1984 with initial funding provided by the

Gannett Foundation The Freedom Forum is the creator of the Newseum in Washington, D.C., which it sold to Johns Hopkins University in 2019. It is a nonpartisan 501 (c)(3) foundation that advances First Amendment freedoms through initiatives that include the Power Shif ...

Adrian C. Louis Adrian C. Louis (April 24, 1946 – September 9, 2018) was an American author. Hailing from Nevada, Louis was a member of Lovelock Paiute tribe who lived on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. He has taught at Oglala Lakota College. H ...

, Jose Barreiro,

Tim Giago Timothy Antoine Giago Jr. (July 12, 1934 – July 24, 2022), also known as Nanwica Kciji, was an American Oglala Lakota journalist and publisher. In 1981, he founded the ''Lakota Times'' with Doris Giago at the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, w ...

, and Bill Dulaney, among others, were founding members. The organization was headquartered at the

University of South Dakota The University of South Dakota (USD) is a public research university in Vermillion, South Dakota. Established by the Dakota Territory legislature in 1862, 27 years before the establishment of the state of South Dakota, USD is the flagship univ ...

Vermillion, South Dakota Vermillion ( lkt, Waséoyuze; "The Place Where Vermilion is Obtained") is a city in and the county seat of Clay County. It is in the southeastern corner of South Dakota, United States, and is the state's 12th-largest city. According to the 2020 ...

, as of 2002. In 2003 it moved into the Al Neuharth Media Center, where it shared space with the

Freedom Forum The Freedom Forum is the creator of the Newseum in Washington, D.C., which it sold to Johns Hopkins University in 2019. It is a nonpartisan 501 (c)(3) foundation that advances First Amendment freedoms through initiatives that include the Power Sh ...

. In 2008, it moved to the Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication at the

Actions and outreach

The work of the

501(c) A 501(c) organization is a nonprofit organization in the Law of the United States#Federal law, federal law of the United States according to Internal Revenue Code (26 U.S.C. § 501(c)) and is one of over 29 types of nonprofit organizations exe ...

organization includes advocating for better representations of Native Americans in the media. The organization spoke out against the United States government's use of Geronimo's name as a code for

Osama bin Laden Osama bin Mohammed bin Awad bin Laden (10 March 1957 – 2 May 2011) was a Saudi-born extremist militant who founded al-Qaeda and served as its leader from 1988 until Killing of Osama bin Laden, his death in 2011. Ideologically a Pan-Islamism ...

. NAJA celebrated its 10th annual Native American Journalism Career Conference at the

Crazy Horse Memorial The Crazy Horse Memorial is a mountain monument under construction on privately held land in the Black Hills, in Custer County, South Dakota, United States. It will depict the Oglala Lakota warrior Crazy Horse, riding a horse and pointing to hi ...

in 2009. The Native American Journalists Association celebrated its 25th annual convention in 2009. NAJA has been one of the organizations submitting questions for the 2012 Presidential Debates and other Presidential forums. A 2009 C-SPAN interview by Sonja Gavankar at the

Newseum The Newseum was an American museum dedicated to news and journalism that promoted free expression and the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, while tracing the evolution of communication. The purpose of the museum, funded by the ...

featured two members of the Native Americans Journalists Association, Jeff Harjo and Rhonda LeValdo, discussing their concerns regarding media coverage of Native Americans. NAJA urged Indigenous journalists to avoid working with

CNN CNN (Cable News Network) is a multinational cable news channel headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable news channel, and presently owned by ...

while calling for Rick Santorum's dismissal following disparaging comments the former senator made regarding Native American culture. Santorum was let go from his CNN contract in May 2021.

Notes

External links

* * Interview with Jeff Harjo and Rhonda LeValdo of NAJA, with questions from Native American students {{DEFAULTSORT:Native American Journalists Association Native American journalism Native American organizations American journalism organizations Journalism-related professional associations 1984 establishments in the United States Organizations established in 1984 Non-profit organizations based in Oklahoma 501(c)(3) organizations

Mission and structure

Background

Actions and outreach

See also

Notes

External links