"A free press on the reservations is sorely needed but hard to build. Tribal government skirmishes are covered by mainstream press when there is a major crime or a recall petition, but other than that, there is little day-to-day coverage by off-reservation media. That is where hometown, reservation-type newspapers could come in. They can change tribal government. If the press is not controlled by the tribal government, it could cause that tribal officials to pause and have second thoughts before misappropriating funds or abusing power.

There are some downsides to a free press on reservations. The press has to be free to provide both sides of a story and be unencumbered in the process. To be unencumbered, they need funding from sources other than the tribe. Unfortunately, there are few reservation newspapers that can keep themselves afloat with revenue from subscriptions and advertising.

There is also the issue of bias. If, for example, a tribal member can own and manage a newspaper, would not his or her biases be evident in the writing? It is hard not to let your own experience color what you write.

But "the perfect is the enemy of the good," as the saying goes. A newspaper that makes an good effort is better than a whole community in the dark."

Get the Story:
COLUMNIST DORREEN YELLOW BIRD : Tribal governments change, not always for better (The Grand Forks Herald 3/28)

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