- Details
- By Native News Online Staff
Native News Online’s Jenna Kunze has been selected as one of 100 journalists from around the world to participate in the Oxford Climate Journalism Network’s program in 2024.
Kunze, a senior reporter for the Indigenous-led news outlet, is one of just six North American journalists selected from a pool of 700 applicants worldwide for the prestigious program’s fifth cohort.
The Oxford Climate Journalism Network supports a global community of reporters and editors across beats and platforms to improve the quality, understanding and impact of climate coverage around the world. It is a program of the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism at the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom.
Since its launch in January 2022, the network has worked with 400 reporters and editors from over 100 countries, from editors-in-chief and business editors to photojournalists and climate specialists. Any person in the newsroom, from any desk, can join the network.
Make A Donation Here
“Jenna’s selection for the Oxford Climate Journalism program is a testament to her dedication to shining a light on crucial Indigenous issues,” Native News Online Editor and Publisher Levi Rickert said. “This unique and prestigious opportunity will allow us to share more stories, Indigenous perspectives, and practical solutions that affect Native communities dealing with climate change.”
Based in New York City, Kunze leads Native News Online’s coverage of Indian boarding schools and repatriation, and also writes frequently about health equity and environmental justice issues in Indian Country. Since joining Native News Online in 2021, Kunze has earned fellowships with the USC Annenberg Center for Health Journalism and Solutions Journalism Network, and has reported in-depth stories about Indigenous issues that were funded by the Pulitzer Center for Crisis Reporting.
Previously, she worked as a journalist in Alaska for two years, with a focus on climate change, Indigenous people, and violence against Native women. During that time, she moved to the Alaskan Arctic to report a Pulitzer Center-funded story about the adaptability and resilience of the Iñupiat people in the face of an ever-changing climate. Her reporting, in collaboration with audio journalist Alice Qannik Glenn (Iñupiaq), earned her a global 2021 Covering Climate Now Journalism Award, presented by Columbia Journalism Review and NBC's Al Roker.
More recently, her story about a team of Indigenous doulas reclaiming birthing practices and saving lives by providing maternal care to Native women was one of 43 stories highlighted by the Pulitzer Center in 2023. The story was co-published by Native News Online, Elle Magazine and multiple McClatchy newspaper outlets in Washington state.
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
Tunica-Biloxi Chairman Pierite Hosts Roundtable with Tribal Leaders and Trump Administration Officials
$38 Million in Cobell Settlement Funds Are Still Available
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
