Covering Indian Country Blog

Tips for Journalists

Claiborne’s tips on covering Indian Country

When Dennis McAuliffe Jr., a Native American journalist and director of http://www.reznetnews.org at the University of Montana, offered some basic reminders, to journalists who deal with Native American sources, he turned to the words of a former colleague.

McAuliffe said William Claiborne, a former reporter for The Washington Post, had these suggestions:

--Be absolutely straight with Indian sources.
--Know the subject and do your homework to avoid asking stupid
questions, which turns Indians off.
--Don’t be patronizing.
--Don’t sound overly sympathetic. (Indians can spot a phony liberal a mile away, he said.)
--Don’t overpromise. Educate your sources that stories get edited,
cut, etc.
--Cultivate your sources and call them from time to time just to
schmooze.
--Don’t be formal, pompous or self-important.

Claiborne’s full list can be found here.ClaiborneTips.doc

One of our fellows, Brian Bull, assistant news director at Wisconsin Public Radio, encouraged colleagues to meet with sources to break down what can be an inherent mistrust of media and to review appropriate and inappropriate behavior on the reservation (such as checking when, where and if cameras can be used).

--John Stearns, The Arizona Republic

Posted on 03.12.05 at 3:01 AM by Victor Merina

Comments:

Comment from Navajo Man on 06.29.05:

Tip 101....
Do not call them “INDIANS”
We, are the Din’e..... NAVAJO.
It is more respectful to call Natives by their individually recognized tribes, ie: Cherokee, Zuni, Mescalero Apache, White Mountaiin Apache, Crow.............. Navajo.
Just a tid bit of information.
Hagon’ee ..... Have a good day.