Thanks to a generous grant from the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians, Native News Online has an immediate opening for a full-time staff reporter to help us expand our coverage of American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) healthcare, education, tribal economic development, Tribal sovereignty, and the environment.
We’re looking for a highly motivated, curious Indigenous journalist to join our virtual newsroom and produce daily journalism as part of our award-winning team. Ideally, we'd like to find an journalist to lead our coverage on AI/AN education news or tribal economic development issues, while supplementing our beat coverage of AI/AN health and the environment. Given the breadth and importance of Tribal sovereignty, all reporters cover the issue for Native News Online.
We're also looking for one or more journalists to supplement our coverage as independent contractors or freelance writers.
Native News Online is an 11-year-old independent news website covering a range of important social, cultural and economic stories aimed at changing the narrative about Indian Country with fair and accurate reporting.
Our newsroom applies old-school journalism techniques to the digital era. We value conducting research, asking strong questions, working with editors to hone story angles, and performing rigorous fact-checking before stories are published.
American Indian or Alaska Native candidates with a journalism or communications degree or 1-2 years of experience in journalism or related fields are encouraged to apply. We will provide training and mentoring in journalism and offer competitive pay, benefits, and a flexible work environment.
If you're interested in applying, please send an introductory email, your resume and any writing samples to [email protected].
Help us tell the stories that could save Native languages and food traditions
At a critical moment for Indian Country, Native News Online is embarking on our most ambitious reporting project yet: "Cultivating Culture," a three-year investigation into two forces shaping Native community survival—food sovereignty and language revitalization.
The devastating impact of COVID-19 accelerated the loss of Native elders and with them, irreplaceable cultural knowledge. Yet across tribal communities, innovative leaders are fighting back, reclaiming traditional food systems and breathing new life into Native languages. These aren't just cultural preservation efforts—they're powerful pathways to community health, healing, and resilience.
Our dedicated reporting team will spend three years documenting these stories through on-the-ground reporting in 18 tribal communities, producing over 200 in-depth stories, 18 podcast episodes, and multimedia content that amplifies Indigenous voices. We'll show policymakers, funders, and allies how cultural restoration directly impacts physical and mental wellness while celebrating successful models of sovereignty and self-determination.
This isn't corporate media parachuting into Indian Country for a quick story. This is sustained, relationship-based journalism by Native reporters who understand these communities. It's "Warrior Journalism"—fearless reporting that serves the 5.5 million readers who depend on us for news that mainstream media often ignores.
We need your help right now. While we've secured partial funding, we're still $450,000 short of our three-year budget. Our immediate goal is $25,000 this month to keep this critical work moving forward—funding reporter salaries, travel to remote communities, photography, and the deep reporting these stories deserve.
Every dollar directly supports Indigenous journalists telling Indigenous stories. Whether it's $5 or $50, your contribution ensures these vital narratives of resilience, innovation, and hope don't disappear into silence.
The stakes couldn't be higher. Native languages are being lost at an alarming rate. Food insecurity plagues many tribal communities. But solutions are emerging, and these stories need to be told.
Support independent Native journalism. Fund the stories that matter.
Levi Rickert (Potawatomi), Editor & Publisher