Smoke signals., August 15, 2004, Page 6 And 7, Image 11

Smoke Signals august is, 2004
Smoke Signals 7
UNITY 2004s A PowerflM
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6 AUGUST 15, 2004
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UNITY continued
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Native journalists join with African American,
Asian and Hispanic journalists for a convention
known as Unity Journalists of Color. This
year's event in early August, drew more than
7,000. It was the group's third convention, hav
ing met the first time in 1994.
The size of the giant conference and the range
of cultures attending proved irresistible to this
all-star cast of federal politicians.
At the NAJA awards banquet, National Con
gress of American Indians President Tex Hall
said that "the Tribal trust land story needs to be
told from our perspective.
"You can open doors," he told the journalists
in the house, "that many times a politician can't."
The advice in dozens of panel discussions
ranged from making use of political muscle to
making sense of race and culture.
An exposition accompanying the conference
drew more than 300 sponsors that provided in
formation and opportunities for journalists. Most
major media companies conducted job interviews
live and on-site.
The U.S. Census Bureau brought books and
CDs to help journalists make use of the virtual
mountain of information the agency collects.
The American Medical Association brought
reports about violence in society. The National
Cancer Institute provided statistical abstracts.
Teaching Tolerance brought a program entitled
"Struggles for Equality in America," designed for
teachers as well as reporters.
The New York Times hosted a series of discus
sion groups for media professionals including
photographers and foreign correspondents.
It was a week of the latest in industry news
and trends.
One theme emerged in a panel discussion led
by Suzan Shown Harjo. "Reaching Across the
Color Lines: Journalists of Color Who Uses Their
Ink for Other People of Color" was one way of
saying it.
At a party in honor of NAJA's 20th year this
year, News From Indian Country Publisher Paul
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Nation's Capitol Washington D.C. was the site
for this year's Native American Journalists Conference.
This year's gathering was part of UNITY Journalists
of Color as Native American journalists joined with
Asian, Hispanic and Black journalists to become the
largest gathering of minority journalists in history. Over
7,000 journalists attended the four-day conference.
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Indian Leader National Congress of American
Indian President Tex Hall talked to Native journalists
about the importance of their role in getting vital infor
mation out to the people. Hall said there are many
stories in Indian Country that need to be told and he
encouraged journalists to be vigilant. "You can open
doors," said Hall.
DeMain, one of NAJA's founders, came at the
idea from another direction: "I don't think it was
ever about T," he said of all the efforts many
people have put into the organization over the
years.
Another theme that came up time and again
was voting. "If you don't vote," said Tex Hall,
"you're not going to have any sovereignty to pro
tect." Is It Race Or Is It Culture?
Session after session took on questions of race
and culture. Though geneticists tell us that race
is genetically insignificant - representing less
than 1lOth of 1 percent of genetic material, and
noting incidentally that there is more genetic
difference within races than between races
the cultural issues derived from mankind's fo
cus on race nevertheless continue to loom large.
In response, the conference took on questions
of how reporters ought to approach communi
ties of color, terms and cultural mistakes to
avoid, though Miami Herald columnist Leonard
Pitts summed up a lot saying that for him it
comes down to "treating others as you would
have them treat you."
National Public Radio Atlanta Station Man
ager Michael Fields described his frustration
with not getting calls back from Indian sources.
"If we run the story without their input, they
complain that we got it wrong, and if we don't
run the story (because we were not able to reach
an Indian source), they complain we're ignor
ing them," he said.
Paul DeMain and Indian Country Today col
umnist Suzan Shown Harjo, for example, each
noted how they are happy to guide other jour
nalists to sources that outside journalists may
need but not know about. Their comments fit
into a wider-ranging discussion about the role
journalists are playing to bring cultures to
gether. A panel including former NAJA President
Mary Annette Pember and The Oregonian Race
and Ethnicity Reporter Angie Chuang, opened
up the question by covering the issue for re
porters and subjects with two, three or more cul
tures andor races in their backgrounds.
"In Oregon," said Chuang, setting the stage,
"one of seven children born in 1999 had par
ents of different races."
"Ask people how they want to be identified,"
suggested panelist Erin Texeira, Race and De
mographics Reporter for Long Island's Newsday.
"Within each family, siblings may identify them
selves differently."
In many cases, said Texeira, articles need
more space to adequately define people in terms
of their cultural backgrounds.
"It is very difficult for journalists to be objec
tive about this issue," said Mavin Magazine
Editor Matthew Kelley, "especially for journal
ists of color." Mavin Magazine covers multi-racial
issues.
"This is an issue that is not going away," he
said.
Freedom Of Press
In Indian Country
Paul DeMain and The Native Voice Publisher
Frank King III led panels beating the drum for
freedom of the press in Indian country. DeMain
rattled off the names of many who had been
driven out of their jobs and sometimes out of In
dian publications altogether for stories critical
of particular Tribal councils.
He praised award-winning Navajo Times Edi
tor Tom Arviso, Jr. "for breaking away from the
Tribe (gaining press freedom) and still keeping
the bond (with the Tribe) strong." He also sa
luted Cherokee Dan Ageent who was instrumen
tal in securing freedom of the press legislation
from his Tribe.
"Freedom," King said, "starts with freedom of
the press."
The National Congress of American Indians
also is on record supporting a free press in In
dian country.
Politics, As Usual
For the first time for Indian journalists,
America's leading political figures reached out
to them in a concrete way. They addressed the
Unity convention, and even more important, they
took questions on the national stage about is
sues important to journalists of color.
Nevertheless, President Bush did not appear
to understand the concept of Tribal sovereignty.
The difficulty came out in his answer to a ques
tion from NAJA member and Seattle Post
Intelligencer Editorial Page Editor Mark
Trahant: "What does Tribal sovereignty mean
in the 21st Century?"
"Tribal sovereignty means that sover
eignty," said the President. "You've been given
sovereignty and you are viewed as a sovereign
entity."
Embarrassed by the President's response, the
audience laughed, and afterwards, a number of
journalists said they looked down and felt sorry
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Tour Native j ournalists were given a sneak peek at the
new National Museum of the American Indian in Washington
D.C. on Friday, August 6. The museum will be dedicated with
a ceremony on Tuesday, September 2 1 . The museum, which
was created by an act of Congress in 1 989, is dedicated to the
preservation, study and exhibition of the life, languages,
literature, history and arts of the Native peoples of the West
ern Hemisphere.
for him as he spoke.
Chicago Tribune Columnist Roland Martin cor
nered the President into supporting an end to
legacies in university enrollment policies in or
der to be consistent with his position opposing
racial quotas as an admissions tool. The Presi
dent is a third generation legacy at Yale Uni
versity. John Kerry promised "to reopen the doors of
the White House to the First Americans," but
said nothing about the giant mess surrounding
federal trust funds for Indian peoples or finally
honoring long broken Treaties.
Patty Talahongva, outgoing NAJA President
and UNITY Board Member, met with each
speaker before their talks and presented
to both Kerry and Bush people a Tee shirt
with images of the great Indian warriors
bearing the legend: "Fighting Terrorism
since 1492."
She secured a promise from Kerry to
visit a Reservation before the campaign
was over. No such luck, however, with
the President.
"His record in Texas," she said of Presi
dent Bush, "does not reflect his respect
for sovereignty." She described his reac
tion to a forest fire in recent years that
destroyed the largest stand of Ponderosa
Pines in the U.S. Much of it had covered
the lands of the White River Apaches who,
she said, have long counted on forestry
for their living.
Instead of visiting the Apaches in the
wake of the fire, he visited a small town
of white folks living nearby.
"It's going to take 200-300 years" for
those trees to grow back to where they
were, she said. "It showed he didn't look
at who was being affected."
On the other hand, she also applauded
him "for coming to UNITY and for taking
questions. I would like both parties to remem
ber this," she said.
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Power Secretary of State Colin Powell spoke to
those gathered at UNITY about the current state of af
fairs in America. Powell said he thinks America is strong
and managing its affairs wisely and in the best interest
of the citizens of the United States. Much to everyone's
disappointment, Powell did not sing or dance.
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A Man Of Peace The Rev. Jesse Jackson made an appearance at this year's UNITY Conference and said that the current
leadership of this country is not doing it's job. He said that people of color are talented and capable and need to take every
opportunity to be the best that they can be in their profession. Jackson said that there is no talent deficit in minority journalists, just an
opportunity deficit. Jackson said that there needs to be minority representation in every newsroom in America.
The Awards
Smoke Signals traditionally is honored for its work at NAJA. This year, the newspapers and
its staffers earned 15 awards for excellence, almost twice as many as last year. In addition,
Editor and Tribal member Brent Merrill's production of the Restoration video made in honor of
Restoration's 20th anniversary last year received a second place in the multi-mediacategory.
Merrill also won a 3rd place for newswriting award for a story he wrote about the Davidson
family reopening their restaurant after tragedy struck the family.
Newspaper designer and Tribal member Justin Phillips earned a second place award for tabloid-style
newspaper layout and design.
Staff Photographer Peta Tinda, Nakota, earned five photography awards, including a clean
sweep in the single picture feature photograph category, winning first, second and third places
for his photographs. Tinda also won an award for newswriting award for a story he wrote
about Tribal member Tom Leno's struggle with the after effects of Agent Orange that he was
exposed to while serving his country in Vietnam.
Staff Writer Ron Karten won six awards for his writing. He was awarded a first and second
place for news writing for his stories, "Apparent Suicide Attempt on Highway 18 Leaves Police
Baffled" and "Front Page Picture of Native American Skull Insults Oregon Indians." He was
awarded a second place and honorable mention for his feature stories, "Life on the Edge: Tribal
Members Join Team that Faces the Danger and Beauty of Fighting Oregon's Annual Forest
Fires," and "Grand Ronde Tribes 20 years of Restoration." He also won a second and third
place for Environmental Journalism; for his article about efforts to dredge the Columbia River
and the "2003 Water Feature."
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