Reznet

The Sting of One Slip

By Jonnie Tate' Finn

SIOUX FALLS, S.D.-Even a bureau chief for The Associated Press could make a culturally offensive comment unintentionally. That's what Tena Haraldson did June 5 when she spoke to a group of Native students.

Haraldson was stressing the importance of Natives in the mainstream when she said that people couldn't get mad at stereotypes leaked in the media, because non-Native journalists "don't have visions about things."

Students from the American Indian Journalism Institute, a program designed to encourage Natives in the newsroom, murmured their surprise at the comment, as some of them found the statement offensive.

"My first reaction was, 'Whoa, what the hell does that mean?'" said Karen Ducheneaux, a student participating in the AIJI at the University of South Dakota in Vermillion.

Ducheneaux said that in the Native culture, visions represent a spiritual part of life, and that visions are generally associated with Natives.

Afterward, Haraldson said that the thought of her statement being offensive flashed through her mind, but she didn't take notice of it until after she said it.

"This was a perfect example of how stereotypes are perpetuated in the mainstream," Haraldson said. "Ask about cultural awareness, and it soaks in through the skin."

'Everybody a Chief'

Earlier, Haraldson had said journalists need to be sensitive to issues concerning Natives, and that Native journalists were needed, because there aren't enough.

"It's important for Native people to be in the mainstream or else the mainstream won't get it," Haraldson said.

Sometimes, she said, when the local bureau sends out a story on a Native issue, newspapers make changes that are wrong. For example, she said, "in New York they make everybody a chief."

Marty Two Bulls, a graphic designer for the Sioux Falls Argus Leader, said he agreed with Haraldson about the need for more Native journalists writing on Native issues.

"Others can't write stories as well as we can," Two Bulls said. "These stories belong to us."

Neal Bennett, news director for KSFY-TV, agreed that it would help to have people in the media with knowledge of Native issues.

"It would diversify and bring something else to the table," said Meagan Dorsch, an anchor for the TV station.

Haraldson said that while she did not mean for her comment to be disrespectful, the person offended needs to realize where the speaker is coming from, and to know when a person is being purposefully malicious.

Patrick Lalley, a reporter for the Argus Leader, said that the solution to dealing with cultural awareness is: "Don't assume anything."

Jonnie Tate' Finn, Cheyenne River Sioux, attends Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colo. She is a student at the Freedom Forum's 2003 American Indian Journalism Institute.