Native American journalists say bias, dubious statistics hold them back
By Kelly Nunn Martin
freedomforum.org
05.15.00
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Most Native American Indian journalists say they are seriously underrepresented as a minority group in mainstream newspapers. The American Society of Newsroom Editors estimates the percentage of journalists writing for mainstream newspapers who are Native Americans to be 0.52%, and Native Americans say the actual number is even lower. Reasons for this are complex, but according to some native journalists, two problems they face are bias in the workplace and flawed statistics.
Prejudiced supervisors, Native Americans say, can prevent them from being hired in the first place or from advancing in journalism careers.
Ben Winton, a Pascua Yaqui who is treasurer of Native American Journalists Association, says he spent 22 years trying to establish a career in mainstream print media. Winton's career began when he volunteered to work as an unpaid clerk at The Arizona Republic. He had impressive qualifications. He had earned a degree in aeronautical engineering from Arizona State University, with the goal of becoming a science and aviation writer. Turning down engineering jobs with Ford Motor Co. and Boeing, he accepted work on The Arizona Republic as a copy editor and researcher for investigative reporters. "From the time I was 15, I wanted to write," said Winton. He spent five years trying to become a reporter, but though he had the support of several editors at The Arizona Republic, the managing editor refused his promotion each time.
Winton did not want to believe that racial prejudice was hindering his career, but admitted, "I can't imagine what else it could have been … I know I don't look like Clark Kent." After repeatedly being denied opportunities at the paper, he worked as a writer and editor for some smaller dailies. The Phoenix Gazette, a paper owned by the same company and operating from the same building as The Arizona Republic, hired him a few years later as a reporter. When his career stalled again, Winton took the initiative. He requested unpaid leave and traveled to El Salvador at his own expense to cover the one-year anniversary of the massacre of six Jesuit priests. He interviewed their replacements, who told him about street children being murdered by police in Guatemala City. This story ran in several newspapers around the country, including the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, and both stories made the front page of the Phoenix Gazette.
Still, Winton's career did not advance. "Three months later I got put on a night cop beat, something anyone could do," said Winton.
Finally, in February of this year, Winton gave up on journalism and accepted the position of public relations manager for United Healthcare, an HMO based in Minnesota. "The print media has demonstrated to me that they are not interested in promoting people of color," he said.
Some editors state their bias directly. Robert McDonald, cultures reporter for The Spokesman-Review in Spokane, Wash., faced bigotry head-on when a former boss told him, "You people (American Indians) have alcohol problems." McDonald did not know how to respond. He was aware that his boss's negative stereotype of Native Americans could hurt his opportunities, but he felt that challenging him openly could be damaging, too.
"It affected my self-esteem," said McDonald. "I was afraid that if I took one drink, I would be perceived as an alcoholic."
There is another aspect of the issue. McDonald says that when some of his employers have learned of his Native American background, "they did not acknowledge me as a minority." Some Native Americans report being told that they do not "look ethnic enough" to be hired as minorities, and believe that they are easily overlooked in comparison to other ethnic groups. Some believe this may explain why some newsrooms aren't making a stronger effort to hire more native journalists: Their presence or absence is not always as obvious as it is with people of other races.
Although racial bias seems to be one reason for the low percentage of Native Americans in mainstream journalism, statistics, and the way they are compiled, can be equally problematic.
ASNE is generally looked to as the final authority on statistics regarding journalists, and its latest survey does not look promising. Considering that Native Americans make up about 1% of the total U.S. population, the number of native journalists in mainstream newsrooms would have to double for them to be represented adequately. However, not everyone agrees with ASNE's statistics. Native American journalists say the situation is even worse than reported.
NAJA believes that ASNE's 0.52% figure is wrong for a number of reasons. Michael Burgess, interim executive director of NAJA, believes the actual number is lower by at least 25%. "There are two major things wrong with that report," he said. "First, ASNE allows self-reporting by the newspapers it surveys, and second, they point to the Census for information." Burgess explained that U.S. Census statistics on racial status are also self-reported and may not be accurate. He says only journalists should be included in ASNE's report, and not other staff and interns, as these would skew the statistics. He notes an ongoing controversy over people who claim to be Native Americans but may not be.
NAJA member Mary Annette Pember agrees that Native American status should be verified. "If you apply for a scholarship for Native Americans, or for membership to NAJA, you must provide proof" of belonging to a native tribe, she said. This proof is usually in the form of an enrollment number, which is assigned by the tribal government. People who are hired into newsrooms are allowed to self-identify, she said, so many of these people may not be recognized as Native American by the Bureau of Indian Affairs. "Self-identification is a problem because no one checks," said Pember.
Ben Winton says that although ASNE claims more than 200 American Indians work for mainstream newspapers, "We at NAJA can't find them. We cannot find 150. We think there are about a dozen. We do not know of a single American Indian in a management position in mainstream media, and they (ASNE) report several." He cites writer Mark Trahant as the only Native American he knows of who has held such a position. NAJA currently has 581 members. Of NAJA's print-journalist members, 98% work for the tribal press.
Winton believes that inaccurate statistics are working against increases of people of color in the newsrooms, and that ASNE does not fully realize the negative effects of inaccurate statistics. "We are convinced that they cook the books for the editors," he said. He believes editors of major newspapers want the public to think they are effectively representing minorities. Winton criticizes ASNE for not making an effort to provide NAJA with proof of their statistics.
Many NAJA members think ASNE should open its records to NAJA or, at the very least, agree to mail questionnaires to native journalists cited in its survey.
"They won't provide us with the names of these (Native American) people they claim are working in the media … we don't believe they exist," said Winton. "We'd like to offer them membership in NAJA," he said, adding that NAJA plans to launch its own study by the end of this year. "We will be using scientifically accepted research principles, and our numbers will not be open to interpretation," he said. "These records will be open and substantiated."
In response to NAJA's concerns, ASNE diversity director Bobbi Bowman said, "We have been doing this survey the same way for twenty years." Bowman says ASNE surveys every mainstream daily newspaper in the country, totaling 1,451 this year. "We have a response rate of sixty-five percent," she said. She says she does not know of any request by NAJA for information, although a detailed, open letter to ASNE about the issue is currently posted on NAJA's Website, NAJA.com. "We would be delighted to cooperate with them," said Bowman.
When asked about possible inaccuracies in ASNE statistics, Bowman replied, "We report what the editors report to us." She said clerical workers are not included in the study, and conceded that reported racial status is not checked. "In all the newsrooms I know of, people are allowed to self-identify," said Bowman.
Despite the obstacles faced by many Native Americans, Mark Trahant, a journalist for the Seattle Times and former president of NAJA, is optimistic about the future role of Native Americans in journalism.
"I have seen substantial progress in the last three decades," he said. Although Trahant agrees the Native American presence in journalism is low, he says, "I realize the problem won't be solved overnight."
