JULY 15, 2003
Smoke Signals 9
"Write That Down. It's Important!
5J
Pulitzer Prize winning Native journalist can sing too.
By Willie Mercier
Charlie LeDuff was a mentor in charge of the LeDuff was in Baghdad for over 2 months,
student reporters, I was a student assigned to "They put you in a truck and drove you to places
the web design project at they wanted you to see," said LeDuff of
the
M
Y-
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Native American
Journalist Association's
annual conference. I got
to the project room and
there he was giving
out assignments. He
tried to give me an as
signment, but I wasn't
there1 as a reporter. He
wouldn't take no for an
answer, he gave me
the information that
he thought I needed and
told me to get my story.
I will never forget the
morning I met a future
Pulitzer Prize winner.
Two days before I met
Charlie the New York Times published "How
Race Is Lived in America" which LeDuff wrote
and would later win the Pulitzer for.
Now, two years later, I was given an opportu
nity to interview one of the most prominent Na
tive reporters in journalism and I kept thinking
of that first day we met. LeDuff has a knack of
making you feel comfortable - like you've been
friends for years. It is a remarkable talent.
Since the day I met him many things have
happened in his life. He was in New York, when
the twin towers fell. He talked about how he
had to move west after September 11, 2001.
"911 killed me... I needed to go," said LeDuff.
Now he lives in Los Angeles where he covers
the west coast for the New York Times and he
was excited when given an assignment that
would take him from L.A. to Baghdad, Iraq af
ter the war against Saddam Hussein had already
started.
the military personal that he was em
bedded with while on assignment.
That wasn't all he did though, he took
off and explored Baghdad on his own.
"You start with the elders because
they know where it's at, then you talk
to the kids and then to guys your age,"
said LeDuff.
Before he left to cover the war, mili
tary personnel trained
him to not just duck if gunfire
erupts around you - the bullets
will penetrate walls.
"They told me to get two or
three walls between me and the
bad guys," said LeDuff.
One run in with enemy soldiers
left LeDuff awakened by his fear.
"I ran like a pussy."
LeDuff enjoyed his time in Iraq
even though he was in constant
danger. He found a connection
with the people.
"The Kurds are curious of Na
tives," said LeDuff. He said he
sees a lot of similarities, a kinship
between the two groups.
"They (the Kurds) have pic
tures hanging in their homes of
Indians," said LeDuff.
JO
O
a.
According to LeDuff, modern media is out of
hand. LeDuff talked about how reporters are
expected to "write something" and then figure
out if it's true or not. He said that is not his
style.
"You gotta know who you are and be true to
it," said LeDuff.
As the interview pro
gressed, LeDuff talks to
many people that know
him in the NAJA orga
nization and blurts out
things like "Write that
down. That is important."
After I'm done asking my questions, Charlie
turns his attention to the karaoke book and con
templates what he will sing. He entertained ev
eryone in the audience with ACDC's "Dirty
Deeds Done Dirt Cheap." Some people might
call him a "character" or a
"clown" but when it comes
to journalism he is an en
joyable mixture of busi
ness and pleasure. U
Rock Star At NAJA - The
enigmatic New York Times
Reporter Charlie LeDuff, a
Pulitzer Prize winner, enter
tained Native Journalists in
Green Bay, Wisconsin with his
best impression of ACDC's
Bon Scott. LeDuff's was as
sisted in his redition of "Dirty
Deeds Done Dirt Cheap" by
Smoke Signal's Web Guru
Willie Mercier.
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Delegation Attends Indian
Timber Conference
Grand Ronde Tribal members and
staff recently attended the 27th
Annual National Indian Timber
Symposium in Cherokee, North
Carolina June 16-19. The delega
tion included General Manager
Cliff Adams (I to r), Natural Re
sources Administrative Assistant
Karen Larsen, Human Resources
Director Connie Holmes, Wash
ington, D.C. Lobbyist Mark Phillips
and Natural Resources Director
Pete Wakeland.
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