Space Summary
The Twitter Space Market Talk #BTC #ETH #SOL #AI #MINERS hosted by WOLF_WebThree. Market Talk #BTC #ETH #SOL #AI #MINERS dives deep into the intersections of emerging technologies like Artificial Intelligence and cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum. Hosted by @WOLF_Financial, the space offers unbiased insights and educational resources on market trends. Discussions explore the evolving landscape of Web3 technologies and their impact on traditional financial assets, providing valuable knowledge for investors. Participants gain understanding about the interconnected nature of BTC, ETH, SOL, AI, and mining practices, shaping informed decision-making in the market.
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Questions
Q: What is the central focus of Market Talk #BTC #ETH #SOL #AI #MINERS?
A: The space concentrates on educating about emerging technologies impacting BTC, ETH, SOL, AI, and mining practices.
Q: How does @WOLF_Financial contribute to the space?
A: @WOLF_Financial provides unbiased insights and education on market trends, offering valuable information for participants.
Q: What key assets are discussed in Market Talk?
A: Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, artificial intelligence, and mining practices are among the central topics covered in the space.
Q: Why is it essential to remain informed about technological advancements?
A: Staying updated on technology trends is crucial for making informed investment decisions in the evolving market landscape.
Q: How are BTC, ETH, SOL, AI, and miners connected in the market discussion?
A: These assets demonstrate interconnections within the market, showcasing the evolving landscape of technology and finance.
Highlights
Time: 00:15:45
Unbiased Insights on BTC and ETH Exploring market trends and implications for Bitcoin and Ethereum investors.
Time: 00:30:10
SOL and AI Market Impacts Insights into the influence of Solana and artificial intelligence on market dynamics.
Time: 00:45:22
Mining Practices and Innovation Discussions on emerging mining technologies shaping the market.
Time: 01:00:05
Web3 Sector Integration Exploring the intersection of Web3 technologies with traditional market assets.
Time: 01:15:30
Educational Initiatives by @WOLF_Financial How @WOLF_Financial contributes to educating participants on emerging market trends.
Key Takeaways
- Web3 sector integration is a key topic impacting BTC, ETH, SOL, AI, and mining practices.
- The discussion covers emerging technologies and market trends for various assets.
- Market insights are shared with a focus on Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, and artificial intelligence.
- Education on emerging technologies and markets is provided by @WOLF_Financial.
- The space aims to inform about innovations in technology and financial markets without bias.
- BTC, ETH, SOL, AI, and mining demonstrate interconnections within the evolving market landscape.
- The Market Talk space highlights the significance of staying informed on technological advancements for investment decisions.
- Unbiased discussions on BTC, ETH, SOL, AI, and miners offer valuable insights to participants.
- Understanding market dynamics and emerging trends is crucial for making informed investment choices.
- Participants gain knowledge on Web3 technologies and their impact on the financial market.
Behind the Mic
Introduction and Waiting for Participants
Hi, everyone. This is Seth Stern at Freedom of the press foundation. Let's just wait another minute or two for more people to join. The space just went live, and then we will get started. Thanks to everyone who's already here for joining.
Discussion on Press Freedom
Okay, well, we can get started with intros as people sort of file in here. And of course, the x space will be available afterwards for folks who aren't able to listen live. That's not a problem. You can always listen later. We will make sure to promote it and make it as widely available as we can. Anyway, we are here to talk about press freedom indian country, indigenous media, and the award winning film bad press. And with us today, we have both folks who are involved in the film and advocates for press freedom on tribal land who will introduce themselves shortly.
Seth Stern's Introduction
Let me just briefly introduce myself. I'm Seth Stern. I'm the advocacy director at Freedom of the Press foundation. We are a nonprofit organization that advances press freedom in a number of ways through our advocacy efforts, which I help out with through the us press Freedom tracker, which is a database that reports and documents press freedom violations across the country, ranging from assaults, arrests of reporters, to subpoenas, to damage and seizure of journalist equipment. We operate tools like secure drop and danger zone that help journalists communicate with sources safely and confidentially. We conduct digital security trainings for journalists around the country and some other things that hopefully are doing some good in the uphill battle for press freedom. We've got three guests with us today to speak. Let me allow them to introduce themselves and talk a little bit about what they do. And maybe if you could each briefly identify what you see as the most significant challenge faced by journalists attempting to report on indian country.
Angel Ellis Introduces Herself
Angel, do you want to go first? Sure. Yeah. My name is Angel Ellis. I am the director of Muskogee Media, which is an independent media outlet that is owned by the Muskogee Creek Nation. Our citizens. Recently, in a very contentious election four years ago, our citizens voted on a constitutional ballot referendum to protect press freedom in our tribal constitution. It was pretty significant, and the way we've been reporting since has been dramatically different than the way were reporting before. I have done a few cool projects and been able to be a mentor. The NBC's original voices. I was the subject, or we don't use that word anymore. Sorry, the protagonist of bad press, which kind of followed that advocacy work for constitutional press protection. And I've won some Elias Boudinot awards, things like that. And I think the most significant challenge for indigenous press freedom right now in the landscape is really access to information and having the safe space to advocate for good press freedom policy because there's not a lot of constitutionally enshrined protections indian country.
Rebecca Lansbury Baker's Experience
Thanks, Angel. We've also got Rebecca Lansbury Baker with us. Rebecca, do you want to introduce yourself and talk about what you see as a particularly difficult challenge for journalists reporting on indian country? I don't want to say top challenge, just in case your top one is the same as angels, but I definitely. You know, I think all three of us, Jodi, angel and I like being, you know, so plugged into the media landscape here indian country. You know, we've all faced our own, you know, unique challenges to press freedoms and have those, like, personal experiences to share. So I'm really happy to be part of this conversation, but yes, I am Rebecca Lansbury Baker, one of the co directors and a producer on Bad Press, the award winning documentary film.
Jodi Raves Bonnetbear Shares Her Background
And as Angel mentioned, she was one of our protagonists. And, you know, in making this film, one of the things I wanted to do, I'm also the full time, my full time gig, I guess, is the executive director of the Indigenous Journalists association now. And, you know, I've been with the organization for now more than eleven years. And, you know, we see it happen all the time indigenous communities that the tribally funded media outlets, you know, just get shut down because they're doing coverage that doesn't necessarily, you know, suit the wants of the tribal administration.
Challenges in Indigenous Journalism
And so we have seen that happen, you know, and it happened to me in my experience as being a former tribal media editor. And I actually worked with angel in the, what was then the Muskogee Nation News before I came to Naja and now Ija. And so, you know, I know Jodi also has her own, you know, stories and experiences to share with that. But all three of us, that's something that we, you know, share in common is, you know, those challenges to, you know, just reporting on the government and what that looks like indigenous communities can be so different from, you know, what that looks like in the mainstream media.
The Importance of IJ Association
And that's why, you know, I think having an organization like IJa that's dedicated to, you know, addressing this and providing space for the nuances of covering your own community, what that can look like. So I obviously had worked with our journalists in the film in bad press. So Angel, of course, Sterling Kosper, Jared Moore, Jason Salzman, and I wanted to be sure that the journalist side of the story was told when the repeal happened in the lead up to an election. So that's really where bad press, you know, begins. And I wanted to make sure that like somehow this journalist side of the story was going to be told. And again, we've seen it happen indian country many times that this just gets swept under the rug.
Challenges in Coverage of Indigenous Issues
And so I had no idea it was going to take us four years and some change to, you know, follow this story. But I'm happy that know it had the ending that it did and the citizens were really the ones to exercise that tribal sovereignty. And so I'll pause there, but also just mentioning that I am also a Muskogee Creek Nation citizen, so I have skin in the game as a citizen, as a voter. And so, you know, this was an issue that was not only important to me personally and professionally, but also, you know, I knew to our community who was outraged when free press Washington repealed.
Jodi Raves Bonnetbear's Introduction
So I'll pause there as my intro before I get into it. But yeah, I think as far as challenges go, this is always having the freedom to report on your government accurately and fairly and with all the resources. I think that's an important point too, whether those be financial or human resources, whatever it takes to follow these stories and do the kind of coverage that's required to, you know, make sure that we're accurately covering our indigenous communities, it takes an investment of time and, you know, all of those resources. So that is always going to be, I think, a challenge for us.
Jodi Raves Bonnetbear's Experience
Sure. Good afternoon, everyone. My name is Jodi Raves Bonnetbear. I am the founder and the director of the Indigenous Media Freedom alliance. We are developing our membership model right now. And within the indigenous media Freedom alliance, we have a news website, online website called buffaloesfire.com. and I've been a worked in the mainstream prep. I started off working for the tribal press on my reservation here in North Dakota and then went to the mainstream press as a daily newspaper reporter for 15 years and then returned back to North Dakota, where I served as a director for our tribal radio station and our tribal newspaper, and from that experience was motivated to start the nonprofit, the indigenous media Freedom alliance, specifically because of the lack of information.
Challenges in Accessing Information
I think we're hearing a theme here among the speakers that for the pressing issues facing native journalists specifically, or I would say anyone, trying to report on native issues, is a lack of freedom of information laws, lack of sunshine laws, lack of overall open meeting laws. There's just no clear cut path to go into any of our tribal communities and accurately report on issues that could really raise the quality of life for our people. And my argument is that because of this lack of information media indian country, that you do run of the economic ladder, the health indicators, social indicators that show that people are living their best life, and that is not happening indian country.
Legal Landscape for Tribal Journalists
And, well, we can get into more details, but that's, again, a theme here. We're seeing as our hearing is just a lack of open records and freedom of information within our specific tribal communities. Thank you. Thanks so much, Jody. And I think I wanna lead with a question about something that I'm sure some who listen to this don't fully understand, and I'm not sure I fully understand, but I wanna talk about the legal landscape governing journalists reporting on tribal lands. In theory, as I understand it, tribal government is bound by the First Amendment, but it doesn't quite work that way in practice. And I'm also not entirely sure I understand what goes to a tribal court, what goes to a us district court.
The Interplay Between Different Laws
So can you talk a bit about just the general legal landscape with the understanding that all are not lawyers, as far as I know, but the interplay between the constitution, state law, and tribal. I guess. I guess it's helpful to understand. And, yeah, I'm not a legal expert, but just a person who ran the justice beat for my publication for many years. And so you find yourself reading a lot of law that's really boring. But what it really amounts to is that people have a hard time understanding the relationship between these sovereign entities. Right? So I am a citizen of the Muskogee nation. I'm also an american citizen, and I'm a citizen who resides in the state of Oklahoma.
Understanding Tribal Sovereignty
I'm all these things at the same time. And these laws do apply to me in a layered way. And so what we need to understand that when we talk about tribal sovereignty, for example, this is a treaty law that establishes one sovereign's relationship to another recognized sovereignty. So this is very high law. This is like the upper echelon of law. It's the United States government entering into contract with another sovereign. And so when we talk about these layers of law and constitution and how these interplay, it's important to kind of know that it's filtered through all three of these realms.
Complexities of Tribal Law
And then there are specific laws that are kind of supplemented into law in order to kind of reinforce that tribal sovereignty. For example, like once you have established that the tribal nations are sovereigns, well, there was a period of history where they still didn't allow us to be citizens of the United States. And then there's supplemental laws that apply. And so it can be really tricky unless you understand that all those things kind of fit together. And when you talk about the interplay between constitutional law, so tribes have their own constitutions as well as a sovereign.
Challenges of Reporting on Tribal Governments
And so, and that's what people see if they've watched bad press, is they've watched the citizens of the Muskogee nation change the constitutional law of a sovereign nation. It's like imagine being one of the Hamiltons, you know, like in the. In Hamilton, and you've, you know, formed these high doctrines of law for your country, basically. And that's what it's like when you fit in. How does the tribe fit into law? And then there's certain us law that statutes and that apply to tribal nations. When you get into, like, criminal jurisdiction, for example, you know, the tribes have a right to police their jurisdiction, and they do that in conjunction with the us government.
State Authority and Limitations
And guess who doesn't really have a say. So the state. Their state police don't really have a lot of investigatory powers on a tribal reservation, for example. But the tribal legal people do, and then the us federal people do. So that's kind of my short, long answer for that one. Understood. Before I have a follow up. Jody, Becca, anything you would like to add? Yeah, I think this is Jodi. And I think the important thing to understand here is, yes, as a us citizen, you know, if I'm in Bismarck, North Dakota, which is off the reservation, I am, you know, first amendment applies to me.
Understanding Legal Precedents within Tribes
But when you move on to the reservation level, then all that, you have to remember that of 574 federally recognized tribes, they do each have their own constitution, and their laws take precedence the majority of the time unless you get into major crimes. But let me just give a real world example that just happened two days ago. Our organization, our newsroom, Buffalo's fire, is part of the National Documenters Network. We're the first indigenous led newsroom of the documenters network. And we're the first rural cohort of the documenters network.
Journalistic Challenges in Tribal Areas
And one of our proposals upon, you know, becoming part of the documenters was, you know, let us go into tribal communities and report on tribal council meetings as opposed to just city county level meetings in the Bismarck Mandan area. And that was something that they agreed to. So we did everything we thought that was necessary in going to the Standing Rock reservation, which is just about an hour south of Bismarck, and we knew were entering as an independent operation newsroom. We're entering into sovereign territory.
Navigating the Indigenous Media Landscape
So unlike any other meeting probably around the country, whether I live here in Bismarck, if I want to go to Cleveland, Ohio, and be a reporter at a city county meeting or something of that level, I normally don't have to get permission to do that. And so we knew when went to standing rock that we're going to have to reach out to the tribal council and let them know that we will be working not just independently, but with the Teton Times, which is a local independent newspaper on Standing Rock, but also working with the video sound production company that is also based in stanning rocks. So, you know, we.
Protocols of Reporting in Tribal Councils
We followed the proper protocols and worked with local people to go into the tribal council meeting and record and document the first meeting. What we did differently was the council was not used to video cameras in there, and we did get the okay from the tribal chairwoman. That video would be all right, but unfortunately, she was not present. But they have it every right just to tell us until we get further clarification. Mou. And, you know, there will be no further recording of our.
Final Thoughts on Journalism and Sovereignty
Of our meetings. So we actually had a pack up and leave. So I think that's what people have to understand is, yes, even though I have First Amendment rights, that doesn't necessarily apply, you know, to open meeting laws.
Open Meeting Laws in Tribal Communities
It doesn't apply to open meeting laws. Those laws just really aren't in existence in the majority of tribal communities. Thank you.
Journalistic Reporting in Tribal Lands
Thanks, Jody. And maybe it would be helpful to try to think about this in terms of a scenario that people who are not accustomed to the legal landscape an Indian country can relate to. So you're a journalist reporting on tribal land about a tribe that does not protect press freedom in its own constitution. You want, let's say, to avail yourself of the protections of the United States constitution. Let's say you're retaliated against by the tribal government for critical reporting and you want to do something about it. One, is that something you would do or would that sort of be bad form to take community business into US district court? And two, what would your recourse be? Could you go to US district court? Would it be a state court issue? What would you do?
Pursuing Federal Appeals
I think that. Well, the short answer is, can it be done? Can I appeal to the federal government as an American citizen, say that this tribe has violated my rights? Yes, it can be done, but you will be a pariah in your own community, culturally speaking. You're going to be the person who has brought federal suit against your family, basically, right? Like, that's kind of the feeling on the ground of being a tribal citizen, is this is your extended family, and now you're suing them in federal court. When we're advocating for press freedom in the film Bad Press, if you notice that every vote and, you know, every vote and meeting you see is taking place on the tribe, that's where we kept the conversation. Because I don't think that I want to appeal to this patriarchal entity to recognize my rights as an individual when this is a community conversation.
Community Engagement Over Federal Appeals
And so what we did instead of that was we appealed to the community and we empowered our media outreach to the point that our citizens were taking this conversation and they were holding the electorate, you know, to address this issue. Every time an elected official of our tribe came to a community meeting to campaign, they were asked about press freedom, and they couldn't ignore it. And so I think that when you talk about really advocating for good policy Indian Country, it kind of starts and stays in the tribe. One example I can give you, too, is this was another up here of mine. Colleague Lori Edmo was trying to report, and her tribe was trying to shut down that reporting. Well, Lori defended the tribal press freedom code.
Successful Advocacy for Tribal Press Freedom
Actually, I think at the time, they didn't have press freedom code. She defended her rights under the Indian Civil Rights Act in tribal district court instead of appealing outside. And she was successful in advocating for the press freedom through the Indian Civil Rights Act, which the tribe did recognize. So you have to start there. And if you do go and appeal outside of your tribal district courts into, say, state court, well, state doesn't have jurisdiction over federal, so they just kick it out. Tribes can sovereign immune out of some of these cases. We have seen cases climb through the circuit courts about the tribe. One example more recently was a Friedman case that made it to 10th Circuit DC court. And what happened there? The judge kicked it down and said, you have not exhausted tribal remedy yet, and so you must start at the tribe and ask the tribe this question.
Tribal Remedies and Internal Governance
First, and then you have. So. So even if you do want to appeal outside the tribe, you have to bring the question in the tribe, in the tribal courts first, or if you're going to have any traction. For us, appealing outside of the tribe didn't feel like the proper way to do it. It seems like an internal issue when we talk about self-governance. That's really what it means, is to really work within ourselves. And so that's kind of the way we had it. We had a lot of success by doing it that way, I think. Yeah. And this is Jodi, and I can remind everybody that every tribe is different.
Different Legal Systems Across Tribes
So the way Angel's tribe, the Osage governed itself, is very different than the legal system on other reservations around the country. So with my tribe, the constitution specifically states that the tribal council has control over the judiciary. So what does that sound like to you? Who's controlling our judiciary? They might want to say they're independent, but when the tribal constitution says tribal council has control over them, then you can imagine where that would lead. So in our tribe, nobody has ever led a successful referendum vote kind of like they did at Osage. It has never happened at Fort Berthold because our legal system has too many roadblocks.
Challenges in Tribal Legal Systems
So we don't have a cookie cutter, textbook legal system that lets you go from point A to point B to point C to point D. It just doesn't happen. And so in that case, we have had many, many tribal members that do file outside of the. Outside of tribal court because they have exhausted their tribal remedies, or they just know that they're not going to get any tribal remedy in their favor if your judiciary is influenced by elected tribal council leaders. And so we have people going into federal, to district court in North Dakota, but oftentimes then sometimes those cases will get accepted. But as Angel did say, that the kind of standard response is that you have to take care of this, you know, in tribal court, but in our people's cases, that they don't really ever stand a chance in tribal court.
Court Decisions and Tribal Rights
And just to further solidify what I'm saying, I did go to tribal court to hear a hearing of tribal citizens that I think they did go to federal court and they said, sorry, wrong jurisdiction, kicked it back to tribal court. And so they had to exhaust their remedies. And that group of citizens was protesting that the tribal council was not allowing them to exercise their tribal constitutional rights to a referendum vote or even to, you know, being informed on how, you know, the tribe was spending hundreds of millions of dollars. It's why they were in court. And the tribe intervened in that particular case and said, you know, we would like to have this case dismissed.
The Role of the Judiciary
And so a lot of people were actually in tribal court that day waiting to hear from. From the judge or presenting arguments on why this, why the tribal constitution needed to be upheld and to show that the tribal council was abusing it and, you know, it. The ruling that came out of that was the judge, surprisingly, did mention that constitutional language that said the tribal council is in control of them. And the judge said, I don't know why it says that, but in the end, he did rule that he would not dismiss the tribe's suit. So that was a big turn of events for people. But that judge has still not ruled on, you know, if the tribe is going to have to uphold its constitution or not. So people are waiting on that.
The Diversity of Tribal Governance
So just, again, every tribe is very different. Thanks so much. And I've got to resist the impulse to keep asking questions all day I do find interesting, but there's other stuff we want to cover. Angel, I wanted to sort of move from the legal to the cultural issues which you've already touched on. And I thought a good way to bring this up is by using a conversation we had a while ago as an example. There was a journalist who was concerned that he would be seen as giving up his objectivity because on the way to cover a rally or a protest, helped an older protester carry their stuff, possibly including protest signs. I'm not sure about that.
The Dilemma of Journalistic Objectivity
And when he did so, he wasn't thinking about objectivity. He was thinking about helping an elder, which is hopefully a value that all of society would share. But that being said, a journalist from CNN probably would not help an older person carry protest signs precisely because they want to maintain their objectivity. So I'm hoping you can talk a bit more about that dynamic and about how these sort of contemporary American journalistic norms that a lot of people here just assume are universal when they're really not fit the realities of indigenous cultures. Oh, my gosh.
Indigenous Community Events
This is like a fascinating topic. And the instance we're talking about, the journalist was going to cover a protest and he saw an elder. It's important to understand that in the indigenous community, there are a lot of times that our protests are incredibly like wholesome, peaceful community events where our children come and, you know, they might have a drum and people will sing songs, and they can be very family oriented. And so this journalist spots an elder who's carrying some folding chairs they're doing like a sit-in kind of thing. And he offers to carry this chair for this elder.
Cultural Norms Around Community Support
Like, I mean, that's like, so, like, such a common native thing like that. You just look out for and take care of your elders and you help people. But the mainstream society's view of this, especially the mainstream law enforcement, like, who the mainstream, you know, county city law enforcement, responded to this protest, actually charged the journalist with participating in the protest, which he was not. He simply carries a heavy chair for an elder and sets it down, and then he commences, you know, behind his camera, taking notes and doing his thing. And that just strikes me as something that would really not happen if tribal light horse or the tribal law enforcement of, you know, were the ones responding like that.
Further Cultural Context
That's so common to us. And other instances are applicable here too. Like, I think that many journalists in the mainstream journalism world would never, you know, like, they might attend a meeting and they would cover it, but they wouldn't sit and have the meal with the people, you know, whereas we do. It's, like, really rude not to. In our community, if you're coming to the meeting and there's food, you better sit and eat or else you're pretty snobby. These are just ways that we bond with our community, and we do that in these settings, and it helps kind of enforce that relationship of, hey, I'm a journalist, and I work for you to tell your story.
The Role of Community Engagement in Journalism
And so. But these things are viewed in the mainstream world as, you know, a little, you know, not the normal. I can. I've worked in mainstream journalism, and, you know, it's been a situation, you know, similar. And they're like, oh, you're just all up in here. I didn't even realize you were the journalist. Well, I am, but I'm also a community participant. And for me, the relationship between myself and the community and building that relationship is one of the empirical needs that we face too. We have to build these relationships in order to do our jobs.
Indigenous Journalism vs. Mainstream Journalism
And so I feel like that's very common in the indigenous community, whereas it's nothing in the mainstream world. I won't accuse every mainstream journalist of parachute reporting, but a lot of people just come into a community, take some notes, take some names, and bounce the fuck out. And that's just the way it is. Thanks, Angel. If anyone else wants to add any observations about those dynamics. I see. Becca, you took yourself off you.
The New Era of Journalism
Yeah. I love when this question of objectivity comes up because I think it's such an old school journalistic like education way of thinking. And I feel like we're moving into this, like, new era where being a part of that community that you're covering, that doesn't make you ineffective as a journalist, like that doesn't make you non-objective as a storyteller that actually like being part of that community that you're reporting on. Like that actually strengthens your reporting and makes it better.
Nuanced Coverage Through Community Engagement
You're able to do more nuanced coverage if you're a part of that community because, you know, the tribal citizens, you know, that your work is impacting, you know, the stories, you know, the history, you know, the culture. And so, you know, I think that, you know, from Ija's perspective, and this is also just, you know, personal, you know, opinion. And something we wanted to showcase in Bad Press, as in the documentary, too, is that, you know, there's certainly room for outsiders to tell indigenous stories and tell them well.
Accountability in Indigenous Storytelling
But as I mentioned earlier, it takes a lot of resources, you know, to do that. And there's no one that is better prepared and able to tell our stories than we are as indigenous people because we have that background and because we have, as Angel, you know, touched on that accountability to those communities. And so outside media doesn't have that accountability. They're accountable to their, you know, their outlets. But we as tribal citizens, we're accountable to our fellow tribal citizens.
Care in Indigenous Journalism
And, you know, I think that care is something that's so important in doing work indigenous communities. And again, not parachuting in, but taking the time and spending the resources that it requires to build that trust of indigenous communities who have been burned so many times by, you know, outsiders and outside media. And, you know, sometimes that even, you know, it takes a lot of time to, even if you're from the tribal media outlet itself to build that trust with people.
Building Trust Through Personal Connection
So I think literally sitting across the table from, you know, folks at events like that, being a part of the community, that's really important. And I found that as a filmmaker, too. Like I was obviously, you know, I a part of the community as a citizen. I, people knew me from having worked at the newspaper at Muskogee Media, but still, like, trying to get folks, you know, to go on camera to talk, you know, for the documentary, it still can be challenging.
Challenges in Documentary Filmmaking
And there were friends in the newsroom that I had that didn't want to sit down and do an interview until six months later because you have to build that trust and let people know that you're not just going to parachute in because we've been burned so many times, so that trust is so important to our communities. And I think it's really central to doing impactful, meaningful work when it comes to our reporting.
Concluding Thoughts on Community Engagement
Thanks. Sorry. Go, Jodi, go ahead. Yeah, I can be really brief. So the Indigenous Media Freedom Alliance and the Trust Project, we're working on some research, and from the readers that we surveyed, there's a real strong penchant for trusting news. More when it is written by a native journalist. And that just kind of goes to everything that Angel and Rebecca were saying is that, you know, if you're going to be reporting on local news, then you really, it's pretty important that you're also a part of the community then, because that's where the real trust comes from, readers.
Cultural Norms in Reporting
And if you're part of the local community, then you just follow the cultural norms. And, you know, both Angel and Becca gave plenty of examples of what's normal, like sit down and have a meal with folks. So it's those sort of things that we need to be paying attention to when we're coming into native communities. Thank you. I kind of think that it kind of stems from me.
Ethics of Journalism and Indigenous Values
As a Muskogee citizen doing coverage in the Muscogee nation, I understand and know all of those ethical values that are taught in our tribe. We all have these different set of values, you know, integrity, you know, wisdom, you know, all those different things, and we have our own words for them. And it's kind of fun to compare that to the ethics of journalism because in almost every instance I've seen and I've listened to other journalists who are from different tribes, they talk about their grandfather teachings. Almost always, these teachings align so dramatically, perfectly with journalism ethics. And it makes you kind of ask yourself, can you even do journalism right in Indian country if you do not understand these core values?
Introduction to the Film Bad Press
We've been talking here and there about the film bad press throughout this conversation, but I did want to give you all the opportunity to discuss it in a little more detail, both what it's about, the impact it's had, and, of course, let people know when and how they can watch and support it. Absolutely. Thank you so much, Seth. And it has been, like I said, a journey that I had no idea when we started this. And, you know, this was, we started following the story of the Muskogee nation's repeal back in November of 2018. And so, you know, as Jodi mentioned, out of 574 federally recognized tribes here in the US, only five of them had free press protections at the legislative level. And at that time, the Muscogee media was one of those handful of tribes.
The Emergency Session and Voting Chaos
And so when this emergency session came up for our national council, which is our legislative branch for the Muskogee nation, I heard that there was a vote that was, like, going to happen that night in an emergency session to repeal free press. And so I was serving on the Muskogee media editorial board at the time. And so everyone is obviously, like, you know, on high alert. And angel can tell you, I'm sure, what the, you know, what the vibes of the newsroom was. You know, at that time, everyone, it was just chaos. You know, everyone was like, couldn't believe that we had established our free press in 2015. So it had been, you know, in place for three years when this vote, you know, came up seemingly out of the blue and in the lead-up to an election year for the Muscogee Creek nation.
Anticipation of the Story’s Outcome
And so, you know, I don't want to give away too many spoilers. I think we've touched on some of those. But, yeah, it was a story that we, I don't think anyone could have anticipated what the ending would be. And there, I think, in Indian country sometimes, unfortunately, it's not always a happy ending. But I will say for our story, there was a very happy ending. And I'm happy that for our impact campaign, there's now this path to follow for other tribes. And as we've mentioned here as well, not every tribe, you know, their path to press freedom is going to be the same for the Muscogee Creek Nation. But I think that, you know, the citizens, again, that were exercising that sovereignty and saying, you know, we need Muscogee media as our tribal media outlet.
Role and Importance of Independent Media
Especially during an election year where we need to be educated voters, educated citizens, and we need to have accountability for elected officials. And how do we do that without a functioning, you know, independent media? And so it was, and again, the citizens who really led this effort to restore this free press, and even though, you know, it took a really long time to do that, I think it just showcases, yeah, how, you know, your citizens are ultimately the ones that hold the power and those healthy, you know, tribal democracies and, you know, the independent media outlets that serve those citizens are such an essential part of that because they are that, you know, accountability mechanism there in place. And so, again, that's who we're bold into. It's not the elected tribal officials who want to squash the bad news, as you see in bad press.
Advocacy and Representation in the Film
But, you know, it's, we're building to the citizens. And I, so I love that our film, you know, showcases how, you know, it can be. You can have a successful, you know, movement of the people, and there's now this template for Indian country to follow when it comes to, you know, supporting your tribal media outlets and adopting free press protections, whether that's at the legislative or, you know, constitutional amendment level. And so it's very exciting, I think, to see other tribal nations that are inspired by the film and to say, if Muscogee Creek Nation can do this and they can make these changes within their own government, how can we do it, too? And I think that's really the heart of our impact campaign for the film and again, really continues on the work that we're doing as an organization at the Indigenous Journalists association.
Challenges Facing Indigenous Journalism
You know, press freedom has always been, you know, one of the most important issues to us. And, you know, there's lots of, we'll say lots. There's many important journalism organizations that are focused on diversity. But I think when it comes to Indian country, again, like, we have so many tribal nations that, you know, are represented within our membership. And the challenge of free press is so unique to the work that we do, that bad press is really, I think, such a beautiful tribute to the boots on the ground journalists, again, who are doing this work and digging into the coverage every day. And also, I always just like to mention that it's very stressful. We know, as journalists, any newsroom is a chaotic place.
The Reality of Working in a Community Newsroom
But I think especially when you are working with your community and there are certain challenges and joys that come along with being a part of that because you feel that pressure even more intensely. And so I think being able to see that and the humor that our journalists have and that we, as indigenous people have and use really as a survival mechanism was also something that was really important to me as, you know, having been in the newsroom and, you know, having worked with our journalists and participants to make sure, like, you know, it really, we needed something to, like, show, like, we're just human and just dealing with these very stressful situations. And I think, you know, using humor as a tool to do that.
Representation and Diversity in Media
And it's, it basically, it's like, you know, it's such a small, like, story, relatively, but I think so universal are themes, you know, in bad press as we see have played out here, you know, in the US, especially on the run-up to another election year. So this really took us from election to election, and it was a joy being able to follow angel and the Muskogee journalists and, you know, tell their story and hopefully have, you know, that representation on screen that I feel like, you know, just didn't and doesn't exist yet. So just making any difference we can when it comes to indigenous representation and, you know, who we really are as indigenous people with all the diversity that we have, you know, whether that's tribal diversity, geographic diversity, and being able to show that and have people relate to us has been very rewarding.
Experiences and Observations from the Journey
So I'll pause there. That was a long response. Thanks so much, Becca. And one aspect of the movie that jumped out to me, perhaps because of my legal background, is that there really weren't many lawyers. This was a mission that angel and her colleagues took upon themselves. You know, truly grassroots in a way we don't see often. And, you know, in a weird way, that's inspiring to me to see lawyers not be needed. I'm not practicing law anymore, so that's easier for me to say. But I think there's such an assumption that to affect change, you need to have a legal budget, you need to have all of these experts and professionals that are at your disposal, and you don't often see success stories where someone doesn't need that and is able to get things done.
The Unexpected Impact of the Film
So good to see lawyers not be needed. Angel, did you have anything? Becca said a lot about the movie, but you might have something to add. Being the protagonist. I won't say subject. Apparently, you're not allowed to say subject anymore. I didn't know that. From the protagonist perspective, anything you wanted to add? Yeah. So, like, really, this film, when Becca asked me if I would do it, I thought this film would live on a hard drive and maybe that some college students would see it. And I had no idea, like, what the end result would be. You know, maybe. Maybe they view it, and it helps them understand that you're going to bang your head against the wall.
Advocating for Press Freedom
I a lot advocating for press freedom. I just wanted people to start understanding that as a journalist, you can advocate for press freedom, you can advocate for freedom of information, you should be advocating for free speech and open meetings, and that all these things support each other, which strengthens democracy. And I didn't know if we would have a happy ending. I didn't know if we would have an ending. I didn't know if anyone would see this, if it would live in the world. But I thought, if it is going to live in the world, I just want us to start understanding that our profession, this wonderful profession that supports our very way of life and governance is under a venomous attack right now, and sometimes for good reason.
Struggles of the Making of the Film
I can't say that it's always perfect, but I want people to understand that advocating and journalism do go hand in hand and that journalists get carte blanche allowance for advocating for FOIA, for freedom of press, for all these things, we cannot be complicit in our own demise. And the making of the film was really like. It was like the most stressful four years of my life. I guess I learned a lot about myself personally, which really doesn't apply. But, like, as for the legal presence of attorneys, you know, we didn't have the right to hire legal counsel. We were a government entity owned by the executive branch of government.
Challenges of Legal Representation in Tribal Journalism
And if we wanted to go to court, it would be the chief's attorney general representing us. And they were never going to let us go into court. And to the tribe itself. We are the tribe. So we had to kind of establish some precedents that ensured our independent operation. And we did that through the really boring work of policy advocacy. And I just hope that if anyone does watch this and takes anything away with it and you're a journalist or you support journalism or you work in the profession in some way, set aside some of your, you know, I just kind of equate it to a formula. If I work 8 hours, I might spend 30 minutes advocating for press freedom in some way.
Engagement and Community Involvement
You know, like, there's a ratio to it. You can't be a journalist without advocating for these things because that's just the world we live in. And there are ways if you don't have a legal avenue, there are community involvement and engagement. This. Everybody asks me when I do speak, you know, speak somewhere. They say, what's the secret formula? Just the good old fashioned talking to the people you serve. To be driven by the purpose of service and to really work on that relationship, that's. That's what it means to decolonize the media, right?
Understanding Rights and Responsibilities
Like, to really sink right into all of your values and purpose and to live in relationship with what you do and understand that even the United Nations protects our rights to tell stories. So if that's the case, then we have work to do in educating our community, to know that's important. And so that's kind of been my takeaway, life-changing opportunity. I'm so glad I did it. I don't know if I would do it another four years. It was really hard. But as we, as Americans, all of us in this country are living through an election cycle again, I just want to say that if you watch this film and then you want to know what's happened since we have had the most boring, standard, easygoing elections you would ever imagine.
A Positive Shift in the Election Process
I mean, it's such night and day difference. What the American people are being subjected to right now in the election cycle is the chaos and horror that we lived through trying to get information as a tribal nation, too. And I can tell you that on the other side of that is a really beautiful place where you get to archive your community into your newspaper archives and really tell the story without all the dramatic B's grandstanding that politicians do. Because once you use their platform to advocate for press freedom, it's game change time. And that's the way it happens.
Community Responsibility for Change
You have to let them know that every time they appear in public, they are going to be asked about press freedom. And when they can't run away from it anymore, that's when the change starts happening. And we do that together as a community. Thanks so much, angel. And, yeah, we cannot be complicit in our own demise. That's something that I wish every journalist would sort of say to themselves every morning before they go to work. So totally with you on that one. I want to ask a question that when I saw bad press at the screening in Chicago, I went with a relative who is not really from the world of press freedom.
Funding Issues for Tribal Media
And the question she asked coming out was, well, this media outlet was dependent on Muskogee government for funding. If they don't want to be subject to the risk of retaliatory defunding, why don't they find another funding source, a corporate or nonprofit news outlet, for example? Easier said than done, of course. Are there news outlets covering Indian country that are nothing dependent on tribal government for funding? And if that's not really feasible, can you explain why? This is a great question. I love this question. It's one of my most favorite and cherished questions.
The News Ecosystem Challenge
It's the most revelatory in understanding a news ecosystem. To answer this question, it's like so the short answer, as you've seen in the film, I was trying to leak this story of censorship, of our tribal government was censoring us. I was trying to leak it to any outlet that would do the story, and no one did. It took one of our advocates at IJA assuming the big job of making a documentary before the world knew this story was happening in America. And that is the general attitude of mainstream media. I don't want to get too generalized. I don't want to criticize people and I don't want to throw any of my colleagues under the bus, but the big consensus out there in the news ecosystem, as far as what stories get precedence and what stories get told, is the only time mainstream cares about the reservation is when there's a big, sexy, scandalous story is the chief in handcuffs.
Mainstream Media Bias
They will show up then. Was there an election? They might give you the results on page nine in a tiny little box, maybe. Do they care about Indian country's issues? Probably not, unless it gets into their neighborhood, too. And unfortunately, mainstream community journalism doesn't understand all these nuances and layers of law and cultural nuances that we've been talking about. And so they often, even when they do pay attention to the people Indian country, they often get it wrong or they miss something and they just don't tell the full story.
Challenges in Tribal Storytelling
And so I feel like there is an emerging interest, but what would make the daily big newspaper that has to cover all of Oklahoma dedicate page one to a tribal issue? Almost nothing. Almost nothing makes that happen. And then when it comes to the funding, you know, we're an outlet that has less than 20 people working for it. I could go out and I could try to sell advertising to businesses, but they look at me and they say, you know, hey, I'm trying to sell Ford pickups here. Why would I put an ad in your paper when I don't think the people who read your newspaper have enough money to buy my pickup?
Challenges in Independent Media Funding
It's very hard to compete with the established news ecosystem for independent money. It's very hard to get their editors to elevate the stories. Then what are you left with? And the answer is, really, just do it your damn self if you can. But what people often overlook is that when it comes to tribal government, our tribal government, for example, the Muskogee Creek Nation, is funded through gaming revenue and some federal program dollars. That gaming revenue, that is public funds. It's set aside to serve the people. And went to advocate for our laws with the assumption that the people deserve a transparent government, and the people demanded this, too. And so when you started talking about the tribal government's budget, that revenue is really public funds, and they should have a say so on how those public funds are spent.
Public Funding and Citizen Engagement
Some of it might be housing, some of it might be food assistance or utility assistance. But our citizens in the Muscogee Creek nation, 76.25% of them, said, we want some of that money dedicated to informing us about what our tribal government is doing, and we don't want the tribal government to edit it. So that was a very powerful message that the citizens said to their government. And I think that imagine what the United States would look like right now if everyone in the United States was saying that to their elected leaders. It could be revolutionary. Agreed. You talked a bit about this earlier, Angel, about the threats to the press overall in the United States right now.
The Press Landscape in the U.S.
I think you called it a venomous attack, which is another good phrase. I'm curious the extent to which press freedom trends in Indian country track national trends. Right now, there is a lot of anti-press rhetoric in the United States. Generally. There are things like the, you know, the Julian Assange case or just the rhetoric from politicians calling the press the enemy of the people and the whole fake news thing. How much does that affect attitudes in Indian country, and how much are you sort of operating on a separate trajectory? It's kind of a fun question because, like, I think that the whole time we were filming Bad Press, we were noticing these, you know, here and there, people in our.
Reflections on Attitudes Towards Media
In our tribal nations community were kind of echoing the national trend. Right? I mean, natives are on Twitter, natives are on social, natives are consuming mass media. Some of these attitudes do trickle in. The very big difference that I can pinpoint for us and how our policy developed over the course of these few years was that our tribe is not partisan. When I register to vote at the Muscogee Creek nation, I don't tick a box that says Republican or Democrat. I'm just eligible to vote, or I am nothing. And so a lot of that categorization, it is present, and people have their national preferences. But one thing that I think that the Muskogee people understood, too, was that erasure was real and it happened, and they were told they couldn't tell their own stories.
The Importance of Local Media
Our community was left out of the history books. So even if they're the most conservative and they're the most staunch believers, and even if they would say to us things like, oh, there's fake news, they don't necessarily have that attitude about their own media. You see what I'm saying? They still see that local media is their media, and they don't necessarily think it's terrible. In fact, culturally and generationally, they know that silence is very dangerous for indigenous people to be swept aside, to be censored, to be told that your voice doesn't matter. And so there was a prevailing unifying thought that press freedom is important. We still need to tell our stories.
The Challenges of Journalism
Regardless of how that journalism, regardless of how journalism was weaponized in partisan, you know, politics, it still didn't have such a bad rep on the res. That's, that's really interesting. And I think there are lessons to be learned from that outside. There is. I don't think it's a coincidence that these anti-press attitudes were able to take hold at a time when local media was on the decline, when news deserts are popping up everywhere. Things have been polarized in the past. People have hated cable news and the national media in the past, but at least they had their community journalists who they valued and who they didn't see as some sort of partisan working as part of some conspiracy to advance a political agenda.
Community Media's Role
Now the only journalist people see are the talking heads on MSNBC and Fox News or whichever one they don't like. And that really impacts their susceptibility to these narratives about fake news and about the media being the villain. So I think that just makes a strong case for supporting community media, whether in Indian country or anywhere else. I did have one more question. Unless anyone has more to say about the national trends issue, feel free to come back to that, of course. But at the outset, I think, Becca, you mentioned public records, public access as a major concern.
Government Secrecy Affecting Journalism
And, Angel, I think you mentioned that as well. And recently there was a Washington Post report highlighting difficulty getting information out of the federal government. How much does sort of government secrecy and over-classification affect journalists at the tribal level? Oh, this is a really, you know, great question. So, you know, when we talk about data in Indian country, I think it's one of the biggest, you know, challenges that we have, whether that's on the tribal level, local, state, national level, there's just not enough, you know, data about our communities that's really reflective of the, like, scope of the issues that we know that we have, like, anecdotally.
Data Gaps in Indigenous Communities
So I'll use, you know, the murdered and missing indigenous people issue as, you know, something that we're working to build data on. But that, again, there's really not just a master, you know, database for that as an example. And it's something that is a huge issue for our communities. And so, again, just like using that as an example. But I think when you bring it back to the tribal level and the challenges, you know, that come with that and accessing FOIA, again, every tribe is different. So within the Muscogee Creek nation, if you want to put in a FOIA request, because we are one of the few that do have, it's a pretty great FOIA law also, I will say, and it was passed around the same time that our free press legislation was restored.
Challenges with FOIA Requests
I believe it was. It was in 2020. Is that right, Angel? Yeah, I think you're right there. 2020. It came right before our constitutional amendment. Yeah. And so it was really, I think, a very good template, again, for, you know, what legislation can look like in our communities. But if you want to file a FOIA request with the Muscogee Creek nation, you have to be a citizen in order to do that. So if you are a reporter or a journalist, that is not a citizen, even if you work for, you know, Muskogee media, if you're not a Muskogee citizen, you can't make those requests. And so I know more than a few times there have been journalists that are outside of the Muskogee Creek nation who want access to that information, and the courts just say up, we don't have to.
The Reality of FOIA Implementation
They don't even respond, actually. I will say it's not that they even deny a FOIA request. They just never, you just never hear from them. So I will say, I think that is one of the, you know, next biggest challenges that we have within the Muscogee Creek Nation and really Indian country is, like, adding some teeth into those, you know, FOIA laws because it's like, you can have a really well written law, but if you don't have the, you know, the government that's willing to address those laws, like, and then we mentioned some of the red tape that goes with that. Like, you really don't have any recourse as a journalist at all because the court system, again, is, you know, run by and administered through the, you know, principal chief's office, the attorney general's office, you know, work for the tribes.
Building Transparency in Governance
And so it's, again, a very, it kind of sends you in a loop. But, yeah, I do think, like, as far as, like, accessing open records and FOIA, it's. It's still a really huge challenge, I know, for the Missouri Creek nation. And, and I will say it's better and worse in other places, too. And maybe Jodi has some insight on being, you know, representing an independent media outlet and trying to get access to those. I know, again, it's just across the board challenging, but still something that we're working on.
Instances of FOIA Success and Obstacles
I think that, like, since our FOIA law was adopted, we have had one or two instances where they actually turned over documents to us. And it was not the most controversial things. You know, like, it was not, like, if it's too spicy, they're going to de, they're going to classify it. And the reason that is kind of the standard is because we just don't have access to an attorney to represent us in tribal court. And that's the next step for us. We have constitutional protections now, and now we're working on partnering legislation that will allow us to hire an independent attorney and be represented in tribal court.
The Future of Press Freedom and Collaboration
And this is kind of what it looks like to build the very foundations of transparency in government. It looks like now maybe, and I envision this to be the case for the next four or 510 years. We might be seeing instance after instance where we take our attorney and we go and file, you know, a petition to the court and the, you know, we have to set the precedence that our government does have to be transparent. And there are, it will take a lot. And that's why it's such a hard thing to advocate for Indian country, because you're almost building the system from the ground up.
The Importance of Collaboration in Journalism
And it's kind of a tragedy that the Bureau of Indian Affairs did not set up every tribe with all the components that it needed to be successful. Right. The United States government has these and these things indoctrinated in law, but, you know, they were like, oh, I guess the Indians don't need this. And that's why collaboration is going to be so important to get these stories out. If someone's listening and you're from the New York Times or the Post and you want to do a story on a tribe and you can't get the documents, find a person local who can get them for you and work together and collaborate on these stories and break these stories together.
Rebuilding Journalism Models
Collaboration is going to be what actually saves journalism from this big funk that we're in. It's going to help us pool resources, it's going to help us spread the messages wider. And so I really think that's a key to overcoming some of these challenges. And it's not always that we have to throw more money out of things. Sometimes we just have to be smart about the rebuild. Journalism in general has taken traumatic hits over the last 30, 40 years. And so when we talk about how to improve that, we start with relationships and trust in the community, and then we move beyond that into collaboration, of pulling resources together with mainstream and niche news.
This is a Call to Action for Support
And we break really good stories that are very impactful and important for people. Thanks so much. That was the last of my prepared questions. But if there is anything else that anyone wanted to say that they didn't get in. Whether it's about the film Bad Press or whether it's just about press freedom Indian country more generally, if there's any way you want to suggest that people who listen to this might be able to help, please feel free to speak up and let us know.
Updates on the Film Bad Press
And on the film, I'm not sure if there are still screenings ongoing, if it is or is going to be available to watch on any platform, but please let us know about that, too. Yeah, so we're really excited. Earlier this month, on September 1, Bad Press made its streaming debut on the Criterion channel. So if you have a subscription to the Criterion channel, you can watch it there anytime. So it's exciting. And then we also actually have a screening tonight that's free to the public at USC.
Engagement and Community Feedback
So if you're local to the LA area and you want to join us, that'll be at 07:00 p.m. tonight. And then I will also on my twitter, I'll link to our impact survey for Bad Press as well. So if you have already seen the film and you want to fill that out, you know that data will help us as the filmmakers and as the impact team and our support organizations like IJA, you know, that data will help us, you know, kind of shape our campaign and our strategy for, again, you know, sharing this template now that we have through the Muskogee Creek Nation for what, you know, independent press can look like at the legislative level, at the constitutional level, it will help us shape that campaign.
Continuing Impact and Future Screenings
So we're really, again, excited. We're still doing impact screenings throughout the US and Canada. So this is the latest one we have this fall, but you can always go on our website at Bad Press film for any future screenings there as well if you want to catch it on the big screen instead of watching at home. But happy to have any reviews on letterbox.com as well for folks who have again seen the film or if and when you watch it, would love to have those.
Gratitude and Acknowledgments
So thank you so much for this opportunity to the Freedom of Press Foundation and to Jodi and Angel and joining us for such a great conversation about press freedom Indian country. Thanks so much. Any other closing thoughts before we sign off? If you are not a subscriber to Criterion and you want to become a new one until from now until September 16, if you use the code bad press 24, you get 20% off. Just saying.
Acknowledging All Contributors
Good to know. Okay. And this is Jodi. I know we're kind of running over time right now, but I just want to thank your organization for providing a platform for us to talk about these issues. And I would just put this flag up saying that, you know, we've been talking about the barriers to press freedom for journalists, but, you know, one of the big, one of the buzzwords floating around right now is also regarding tribal data sovereignty and tribal jurisdiction.
Intersection of Press Freedom and Data Sovereignty
So while we're fighting our own tribes to get information, you know, they have their own fight information being extracted from them by, you know, state and federal governments with them accessing, like, health information, for example, without tribal permission. So I think, and I hope we're going to see that intersection of press freedom on freedom of information intersecting with tribal data sovereignty, because I think we should be able to see some coming together of minds and figuring out and understanding that data is important to individuals and communities, just as this data is important to tribal governments.
Future Directions in Data Sovereignty
So, yeah, just be on the lookout for tribal data sovereignty and let's see where that path takes us. Thanks so much to Jodi, Becca, and Angel and for everyone who listened live. We're going to promote this event on Exxon elsewhere, so hopefully many others can listen in after the fact. And we'll also probably do a write up on it. Again, appreciate everyone joining. Great conversation, and we'll talk to you all soon. Thanks, everyone.
Final Gratitude
Thank you. Bye.
