LRI Native News Desk joins the Sacred Defense Fund (SDF) family, which also includes the Lakota People’s Law Project. Our growing team will be dedicated to providing a trusted source for breaking news from across Turtle Island, detailed investigative journalism, and op-eds representing a diverse set of Indigenous voices who examine the issues most important to our communities.

LRI was started more than 10 years ago by SDF’s executive director, Chase Iron Eyes. As the site’s mission evolves, he’ll remain the publisher of LRI Native News Desk and I will step in as the site’s managing editor. SDF’s team is regularly in touch with national and international newspeople, tribal, community, and movement leaders, event organizers and entertainment industry representatives. 

There are several reasons for launching the LRI Native News Desk, but our main goal is to provide timely news coverage on Indigenous issues, reported and conveyed solely by Indigenous authors who are held to a rigorous journalistic standard. We will organize our efforts to amplify their voices and bridge the gap between Indian Country and the larger society. 

Currently, several outlets in our space indicate they are “Native” or “Native American,” but the truth is often more complicated. Some of their newsrooms and/or owners are neither Native nor Indigenous, yet they capitalize on Indigenous stories, people, and trauma. This eventually causes more distrust in reporting from Indian Country. Clickbait stories — which often feature incorrect or inaccurate information or misleading headlines — are sometimes published mainly for the sake of website traffic. A lack of full transparency in some of these outlets means the public doesn't get the full picture. 

My promise to you is that our content will be exclusively by Indigenous people who live in or know our communities and are embedded in our cultures and movements. We know who our people are, and all our contributors will be approved by our editorial board. 

It is important to note that, while we will be a watchdog for Indigenous communities, we cannot and will not report on every decision announced by federal, state, and tribal governments — nor will we be a government cheerleader. The LRI Native News Desk editors and editorial board will keep readers informed on those bodies and any other issues when they are relevant to our lives and cultures.

We will report the facts. We will not be a gossip publication, nor will we support harming Indigenous people with smear campaigns. The LRI Native News Desk aims to report on whatever we see as most pressing or important to Indigenous People concerning our lands, culture and movements.

Over the next few months, as we prepare for our hard launch concurrent with the Santa Fe Indian Market on Aug. 16-17, we’ll be revising our site and social media channels. We also plan to create a subscription model, and we hope you’ll support our efforts. We've already established media partnerships with several well known media sources, including powwows.com and Indigenous TV, who will cross-publish our original content. Several other publications have also expressed interest in content partnerships, and we'll share those details when they become official.

In the meantime, we’re excited to make the LRI Native News Desk a reality and take it to the masses. Participation and support from Indigenous People and communities will be critical, and welcome your input. We are open to your ideas and voices to help us ramp up our coverage and establish our priorities. We are thrilled to take on this initiative and honored you’re here with us. 

Sincerely,
Darren Thompson
Editor-in-Chief