Minority journalists become lonely in mainstream

Rob McDonald

Imagine being the only man or woman working in a company that employs 500 members of the opposite sex.

Now think about how you might feel if you were met with blank stares or confused looks anytime you attempted to share your thoughts with your co-workers.

Working with people who have values or a world-view that are different than your own is often frustrating, said Dana Hedgpeth, a hospitality industry reporter for The Washington Post.

"There's nobody to put things into perspective," said Hedgpeth, a member of the Haliwa-Saponi tribe of North Carolina.

Rob McDonald, a cultures reporter at The Spokesman-Review in Spokane, Wash., said many Indian reporters feel socially isolated because they're the only Native Americans employed by their news organization.

An American Society of Newspaper Editors survey reported a drop in journalists of color working for mainstream newspapers. The survey showed the number of Native Americans working at daily newspapers in the United States fell from 292 in 2000 to 249 this year.

Mark Anthony Rolo, executive director of the Native American Journalist Association, said the situation is worse than ASNE reports. Because newsrooms are allowed to self-identify for the survey, Rolo said many employees who claim Native American heritage aren't recognized by the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

Kara Briggs, a Yakama Indian and reporter at The Oregonian in Portland, Ore., said she's irritated by ASNE's data because she thinks the statistics are flawed.

"Newspaper editors lie when they fill out that form and say people are Indian who aren't," Briggs said. "There are easily fewer than 100 Native Americans at mainstream daily newspapers."

The ASNE survey showed an unusually large number of minority journalists leaving newsrooms was the principal reason for the decline. Although recruitment to the profession has improved over the past 10 years, newspapers don't do a good job of retaining minorities, Hedgpeth said.

"All minorities are on the same level -- none are in upper management," she said.

Matt Kelley, an Associated Press reporter who covers the Pentagon, agreed. "A lot of (Native American journalists) get the feeling that, once hired, they aren't given the opportunities to have mentoring relationships with the more senior people on the staff, who are more likely to be white, and therefore have fewer opportunities for advancement," he said.

Rolo, a member of the Bad River Ojibwa tribe of Wisconsin, said he knows Native Americans who've left mainstream newsrooms because they're tired of trying to fit in.

Hedgpeth said she feels awkward when colleagues ask her to check over stories about Indians. The broad range of Native American traditions makes it hard to meet what she feels is expected of her as the "token" Indian, she said.

Racial prejudice makes some newsrooms an uncomfortable place for minorities.

"There's the perception among some colleagues that anyone who isn't white is just in the newsroom to fill a quota, and therefore can't be as good," Kelley said.

Kelley said being Indian has never been a hindrance for him. However, as a mixedblood who isn't enrolled, Kelley said he doesn't "look" particularly Indian.

Preferential treatment can also drive Native Americans away from jobs in journalism, Kelley said.

"I had the rather unpleasant experience right after graduation of interviewing with a large newspaper chain which seemed much more interested in my ethnic background than in anything I brought to the table as a journalist," Kelley said.

Rolo said he thinks many Native American journalists struggle while trying to figure out what their responsibility is as a minority in the newsroom. The extremes are complete assimilation of mainstream culture or being labeled as "trouble" or an activist, but Rolo said a balanced approach is best.

"I believe as a person of color in the newsroom, you represent your community," Rolo said. Native American journalists don't want to be typecast into only covering Natives, but they also don't want their ability to be fair questioned due to their racial background, he said.

Natives are also being recruited out of the profession. Paul DeMain, managing editor of News From Indian Country, said Native American journalists are highly sought for public relations positions. Those who don't defect to P.R. often find work in politics or return home to help out their tribal publication, he said.

Poor reporting on Indians by mainstream newspapers discourages Native Americans from going into journalism. Kelley said coverage of Native American communities and issues tends to go no further than stereotypes involving casinos, alcohol or the "Noble Indian" trying to save a dying culture.

"If you don't see a newspaper covering your community, why would you want to work for one?," Hedgpeth asks. "When the newspapers are misrepresenting their community, it's very hard to encourage young Native American students to go into journalism."

A. David Gordon, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire communication and journalism department chairman, said coverage of minorities would improve if there was more diversity in media "gatekeepers."

"When all the gatekeepers come out of a similar background, there's things that are not going to be thought of automatically," he said. "People who are coming out of minority cultures are forced to learn the majority's culture, but the reverse doesn't automatically happen."

Gordon said newspapers must actively recruit more minorities, and more programs need to be developed through educational institutions -- as early as middle school.

McDonald, a member of the Salish and Kootenai tribes of Western Montana, said he hopes young Native Americans look up to him and believe that they can become journalists, too.

"I grew up never reading any Native voices (in mainstream newspapers) and now I'm one of them," McDonald said. "I hope to inspire dozens more to follow. Like anybody with a mission, it makes everything better to bear."