Innovation in Focus: Diversity Beat Election Reports

Calire Darby

As this year's election has heated up, so has attention to how related issues affect particular publics. Nowhere has this been more true than at Native American Public Telecommunications (NAPT), where they have teamed up with National Native News (NNN) to offer special incentives to journalists to cover election issues in Indian Country.

NAPT, the oldest of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting's Minority Consortia, is committed to developing, producing and distributing radio, television and online programming that is created for and by Native Americans. They also provide training opportunities to develop the skills of American Indians and Alaska Natives to produce quality public broadcasting programs, promote increased control and use of new information technology by Native Americans and play a leadership role in creating awareness and developing telecommunications policies that will support the production of Native media.

For their "Diversity Beat" program, NAPT and NNN joined forces to encourage journalists to cover election issues in Indian Country. Diversity Beat stories have covered local, tribal and national issues affecting Native Americans, including rallies held by the presidential candidates, unequal access to early voting for tribal members living on reservations in South Dakota, and Native American students' concerns over continued funding for tribal schools. Journalists whose stories are submitted for broadcast are paid $200, and their stories will be used on the AIROS Native Network Internet radio station, and may also be offered to the 33 Native Radio and the 700 NPR stations.

To listen to "Early Voting, But Not on the Rez," the report about lack of access to early voting on reservations in South Dakota, click below.

To watch "Native American Students Concerned Over Funding," click below.