- Details
- By Levi Rickert
Letter from the Publisher
Today is World Press Freedom Day, which celebrates the importance of news and information as a public good—while leaving no one behind.
Recent events around the world in Ukraine and Gaza have demonstrated the importance of having a free press that is allowed to be in harm's way in order to report on the devastating impact of brutal wars.
Closer to home, Native News Online covers important issues that impact the lives of Native Americans, including health equity issues and the generational impact of Indian boarding school on our people. This week, we are bringing focus to the Missing and Murdered Indigenous People (MMIP) crisis in commemoration of National Missing and Murdered Indigenous People Day on Sunday, May 5.
This year, Native News Online will also be covering the very consequential presidential election.
Covering these important stories, as with others covered by Native News Online, is made possible because of the fundamental right of the freedom of the press that exists in the United States.
Freedom of the press makes this possible on a high level. At the practical level, your financial support allows us to put this freedom to work. Reader donations— whether $5 or $500—fund our editors, reporters, and photographers.
As a valued Native News Online supporter and reader, please consider making a donation today to celebrate World Press Freedom Day. Your generosity will help Native News Online uphold its mission to provide accurate, timely and free news to Indian Country and non-Natives communities. Please donate today.
Megwetch,
Levi Rickert
Editor and Publisher
More Stories Like This
Native News Weekly (August 25, 2024): D.C. BriefsUS Presidents in Their Own Words Concerning American Indians
Native News Weekly (August 4, 2024): D.C. Briefs
Calfornia Gov. Newsom Announces $15 Million in Grants to Support Tribal Economic Development and Job Creation
Protests Greet Western Governors in Santa Fe
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
