Thee aren't any Native journalists on the road with Sen. Barack Obama (D-Illinois) or Sen. John McCain (R-Arizona), Indian Country Today reports.

Neither campaign has established a liaison to the Native media either, although Obama is promising one soon. But McCain has a "specialty" staffer who works with all minority and ethnic media.

''There's just not a lot of diversity in general in that particular landscape,'' Mark Trahant, the editorial page editor of The Seattle Post-Intelligencer who is a member of the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes of Idaho. ''It's been a problem for ages.''

Obama and McCain have reached out to Indian voters, although Obama is the only one who has campaigned on a reservation. Obama spoke at the recent UNITY minority journalists conference but McCain canceled.

Obama might appear at an Indian function during the Democratic National Convention, ICT reports. The Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, the Southern Ute Tribe and the Northern Ute Tribe will lead the grand opening of the convention, which starts on August 25.

Get the Story:
Native press lacks equal access to presidential campaigns (Indian Country Today 8/18)
Major Native event to open DNC (Indian Country Today 8/18)

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