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Indian Country Today

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ICT
A graphic depicting the letters ICT all in capitals and in a sans serif font. The letter I is divided into four differently colored stripes – from top to bottom they are blue, purple, orange, and red – and the top three stripes have ribbons of the same color with forked ends trailing off to the left of the letter. The letters C and T are both red, with a slight gradient from highlight to shadow in the color moving left to right across the letters.
FormerlyIndian Country Today
Type of site
Multimedia news website
Available inEnglish
FoundedJuly 1, 1981; 43 years ago (July 1, 1981)
HeadquartersPhoenix, Arizona
Founder(s)Tim Giago
EditorJourdan Bennett-Begaye
CEOKaren Michel
ParentIndiJ Public Media
DivisionsICT Newscast
URLictnews.org
AdvertisingYes
LaunchedFebruary 28, 2018; 6 years ago (February 28, 2018)

ICT (formerly known as Indian Country Today) is a nonprofit, multimedia news platform that covers the Indigenous world, with a particular focus on American Indian, Alaska Native and First Nations communities across North America.

Founded in 1981 as the weekly print newspaper Lakota Times, the publication's name changed in 1992 to Indian Country Today. After periods of ownership by the Oneida Indian Nation of New York and the National Congress of American Indians, ICT has been under the ownership of IndiJ Public Media since March 2021.

History

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The Lakota Times was founded in 1981 by journalist Tim Giago (Oglala Lakota). The newspaper was based on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation and operated independently of tribal government.[1] In 1989 the newspaper's offices moved to Rapid City, South Dakota, and in 1992 Giago changed the publication's name to Indian Country Today.[2]

In 1998, Giago sold Indian Country Today to Standing Stone Media Inc., an enterprise of the Oneida Indian Nation of New York, and the newspaper's headquarters moved to Central New York.[3] In 2011, operations moved to New York City and Indian Country Today became Indian Country Today Media Network.[4] In 2013, the printed newspaper ceased publication, replaced by digital-first online reporting and a weekly news magazine available online and in print.[5]

On September 4, 2017, publication of new content was temporarily suspended to explore alternative business models.[6][7] In October 2017, the Oneida Indian Nation donated Indian Country Today to the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI).[8]

In early February 28, 2018, after a hiatus during the transfer of ownership to NCAI, Indian Country Today announced its return.[9] The site resumed regular publication, with Mark Trahant (Shoshone-Bannock) as editor and Vincent Schilling (Akwesasne Mohawk) as associate editor.[10] Gradually new staff was added, with a renewed focus on Native American writers and editors. On July 24, 2019, the publication's headquarters moved to the campus of the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University in Phoenix. Trahant wrote on social media that he would be hiring a team to build a televised news program and improve Indian Country Today's national report. By the end of 2019, the publication had a bureau at Alaska Pacific University in Anchorage, in addition to its newsroom in Phoenix and its bureau in Washington, D.C.[citation needed]

In February 2020, the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians awarded a grant of $1 million to Indian Country Today and became founding partner for a national news broadcast about American Indian and Alaska Native issues.[11][12] In March, Katie Oyan (Oglala Lakota) was announced as the publication's first managing editor.[13] She was on loan from the Associated Press, and upon returning to the AP in February 2021 she was succeeded by Jourdan Bennett-Begaye (Diné), who had served as Indian Country Today's Washington, D.C. editor and, later, assistant managing editor.[14]

On March 26, 2021, ownership of Indian Country Today was transferred from NCAI to an Arizona 501(c)(3) organization, IndiJ Public Media, led by Karen Michel (Ho-Chunk).[15] In January 2022, Jourdan Bennett-Begaye assumed the role of executive editor, taking over from Mark Trahant.[16] On June 23, 2022, Indian Country Today was renamed to ICT.[17][18]

Notable stories

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ICT carries original news reporting on issues of interest to Native Americans and other readers interested in Indian country.

Television and broadcasting

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  • On July 27, 2018, Indian Country Today began posting their Video News Report on YouTube, hosted by associate editor Vincent Schilling.
  • On November 5, 2018, Indian Country Today teamed with First Nations Experience and Native Voice One in broadcasting and streaming the first national news report focused on Native American candidates from coast to coast. A team of 18 correspondents reported from sites across the United States, including Alaska and Hawaii. The election desk was anchored by Mark Trahant, editor of Indian Country Today.
  • Indian Country Today began broadcasting in March 2020 a 30-minute news program titled ICT Newscast. It is now carried by PBS stations, presented by Arizona PBS, and produced in Studio A of the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University. The ICT Newscast was anchored from 2020 to November 1, 2021, by Patty Talahongva (Hopi), by Mark Trahant from November 2–3, 2021, and by Aliyah Chavez (Kewa Pueblo) since November 4, 2021.

Awards

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ICT has won numerous awards at the Native American Journalists Association. In 2014, the publication earned 17 awards, including Best Digital Publication for its 12-page digital newsletter and first place for General Excellence.[24] In 2013, ICTMN won 11 awards at the conference.[citation needed]

Notable writers, editors, contributors

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Some current and former Indian Country Today staff writers and contributors include:

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Giago, Tim (Fall 2005). "Freedom of the Press in Indian Country". Nieman Reports. Vol. 59, no. 3, Covering Indian Country. pp. 13–15. Archived from the original on April 24, 2024.
  2. ^ Trahant, Mark (July 9, 2021). "ICT at 40: 'We reported like Indians, from the ground up'". ICT. Letter from the editor. Archived from the original on January 15, 2024.
  3. ^ "New York Tribe Buys Indian Newspaper". The New York Times. Associated Press. December 4, 1998. p. B14. Archived from the original on September 28, 2024.
  4. ^ Indian Country Today Media Network (January 6, 2011). "Indian Country Today Media Network to Launch January 14, 2011" (Press release). PR Newswire. Archived from the original on July 23, 2024.
  5. ^ Eaton, Kristi (July 15, 2013). "National Native American magazine going digital". AP News. Archived from the original on September 28, 2024.
  6. ^ Pember, Mary Annette (September 6, 2017). "Indian Country Today hiatus is a blow to nuanced coverage of indigenous peoples". Columbia Journalism Review. Archived from the original on February 9, 2023.
  7. ^ Donnella, Leah (September 24, 2017). "Goodbye, For Now, To A Vital Source For Native American News". Code Switch. NPR. Archived from the original on May 26, 2024.
  8. ^ "Oneida Nation to Donate Indian Country Today Media Network Assets to NCAI" (Press release). National Congress of American Indians. October 4, 2017. Archived from the original on September 28, 2024.
  9. ^ Eversden, Andrew (June 4, 2018). "After hiatus, Indian Country Today returns with business plan borrowed from pubmedia". Current. Archived from the original on November 30, 2023.
  10. ^ "It's Official: Indian Country Today Is Back In Business". ICT. February 28, 2018 [updated September 13, 2018]. Archived from the original on July 20, 2024.
  11. ^ "San Manuel donates $1 million to 'significantly advance' Indian Country Today's mission". ICT. February 3, 2020. Archived from the original on September 28, 2024.
  12. ^ George, Grace (October 29, 2020). "Indian Country Today expands into TV with weekday news show". Current. Archived from the original on February 27, 2024.
  13. ^ KickingWoman, Kolby (March 19, 2020). "Katie Oyan named as first managing editor of Indian Country Today". ICT. Archived from the original on September 28, 2024.
  14. ^ Cox, Jay (July 13, 2021) [updated on July 25, 2023]. "A Leading Voice for Native Americans". Stories. Syracuse University. Archived from the original on July 27, 2024.
  15. ^ "Indian Country Today, NCAI split". ICT. March 26, 2021. Archived from the original on May 2, 2024.
  16. ^ "'Exciting time' as new editor to lead ICT". ICT. December 9, 2021. Archived from the original on January 15, 2024.
  17. ^ Bennett-Begaye, Jourdan (June 23, 2022). "A new day, a new ICT". ICT. Archived from the original on September 28, 2024.
  18. ^ Chavez, Aliyah (June 23, 2022). Indian Country Today is now ICT (Television news production). ICT Newscast. Event occurs at 19:18. Archived from the original on September 28, 2024.
  19. ^ "The Shared Pain of New Orleans", ANC Today, (September 9–15, 2005)
  20. ^ Scott, Dot (October 13, 2013). "Baby Veronica & Baby Deseray: Don't Let Them Sell Our Babies!". ICT. Archived from the original on September 28, 2024.
  21. ^ Obama, Barack (June 5, 2014). "On My Upcoming Trip to Indian Country". ICT. Archived from the original on September 28, 2024.
  22. ^ "White House Responds to 'Stop Apache Land Grab' Petition". ICT. January 13, 2015. Archived from the original on September 28, 2024.
  23. ^ "Water Is Life: The NoDAPL Movement" (PDF). This Week from Indian Country Today. Fall 2016. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 1, 2017 – via Lúgh Studio.
  24. ^ "NAJA Announces 2014 Award Winners; ICTMN Earns 17". ICT. June 28, 2014. Archived from the original on March 19, 2023.
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