ASU is on track to establish a college chapter of the Native American Journalists Association, a decision that community members say will foster diversity and inclusion within the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication.
The association, which was established in 1983, serves as a family, a networking tool and a catapult for the careers of Native American journalists nationwide. However, up until recently, the association did not have chapters on college campuses.
NAJA prides itself in advocating for its members’ success and ensuring that the mainstream media’s reporting is “accurate and contextual” when covering Native American stories, said Bryan Pollard, director of programs and strategic partnerships at NAJA.
Lori Todd, director of Cronkite News' digital desk, said she was approached by Cronkite’s Assistant Dean Rebecca Blatt and asked to spearhead the project of forming a NAJA chapter at ASU as the faculty adviser.
Todd says she has always been passionate about diversity and inclusion and is excited to be taking on this project.
“Cronkite is looking to expand its coverage of Indian country,” Todd said. “Of course it's always been a pillar of what we’re already covering here at Cronkite News, but the school itself is working toward that as well.”
Todd added that the school will be welcoming a new professor in the fall semester who will focus on Native Americans and how they are covered and represented in the media.
“I think we’re at a place right now in the industry where diversity is at the forefront,” said Todd. “It is extremely important to both Dean Blatt and Dean Callahan to get this program started. Right now our biggest challenge is getting at least four student officers in place by April 15th.”
Journalism freshman Kiarra Spottsville can attest to the desire for a club of this caliber at ASU.
“I was interested in joining NAJA because I’m Native American myself," she said. "I feel like there needs to be representation for each student and their own background. And beyond individuals, journalism is about telling an unbiased story for all members of society. Native Americans deserve an outlet that will tell their story fairly.”
Spottsville added that news outlets have an obligation to hear from Native journalists about the issues that their community faces.
“Being in Arizona where Native Americans and Native culture is more present than lots of other places, it goes back to representing your surroundings," she said. "Secondly, Cronkite News covers Native Americans more than most news outlets do, but how can you cover something fairly without hearing from the people it affects?”
Pollard said he agrees that there is a need for more diverse coverage to prevent the creation of more stereotypical, trope-filled coverage of Native American issues, and that it's necessary to bring up the next generation of Native journalists in order to achieve the organization's purposes.
“We need to reach as many Native kids as we can to make sure that they have the networking and the training to make it into the workforce," he said. "Starting university chapters is really going to help us meet that goal.”
The organization recently started a chapter at the University of Oklahoma, and there are many more chapters in the works.
Pollard added that NAJA is “very optimistic” that ASU will be the next school to introduce a chapter.
“I want students to know that their voice is absolutely critical in the journalism space,” Pollard said. “We really want our young people to look at this seriously as a career choice, they can play an extremely important role by entering a newsroom and offering an authentic, Native perspective that may change the narrative on some stories in that room.”
Reach the reporter at emdean1@asu.edu and follow @emily_mae_dean_ on Twitter.
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