Former Eastern Cherokee paper editor sues tribe

Tuesday, April 1, 2008  

The former editor of the newspaper for the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians is suing in tribal court.

Joseph Martin was editor of the Cherokee One Feather for 11 years. He says he was forced out because he disagreed with Chief Michell Hicks, who ordered the paper to remove an anonymous "Rants and Raves" column. Martin also wrote columns in The Asheville Citizen-Times that criticized tribal leaders.

Martin, who has started a website called Cherokee Times Online, is suing Chief Hicks and the tribal council. His lawsuit seeks damages for lost wages and he wants the tribe to create an independent editorial board for the newspaper.

Get the Story:
Ousted newspaper editor sues tribe (The Asheville Citizen-Times 4/1)

Relevant Links:
Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians - http://www.cherokee-nc.com
Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, site 2 - http://www.nc-cherokee.com
Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, unofficial - http://www.easternband.com

Related Stories:
Eastern Cherokee newspaper editor forced out of job (11/8)
Eastern Cherokee paper editor told to change jobs (11/6)
Opinion: City official insulted Eastern Cherokees (11/01)
Column: Bad publicity for Eastern Cherokees (10/18)
Eastern Cherokee chief makes newspaper cut column (10/17)