The building that housed the Lakota Times was blasted out by gunfire three times and firebombed after founder Tim Giago wrote editorials editorials condemning the violence and confrontational tactics of the American Indian Movement. Photo courtesy Tim Giago

Opinion

Native Sun News Today Editorial: Freedom of the press in Indian Country

Wednesday, March 13, 2019

Having a window to history

By Native Sun News Today Editorial Board
nativesunnews.today

With freedom of the press under attack by Donald Trump and his minions nearly every day how was it for freedom of the press in 1982?

Tim Giago, the then editor of the Lakota Times, wrote some scathing editorials condemning the violence and confrontational tactics of the American Indian Movement. For his honesty in speaking out against violence and for promoting communication and peaceful dialogue his newspaper had its windows blasted out by gunfire three times and in December of 1982 the newspaper was firebombed with Molotov cocktails.

The first three attacks brought no outcries from the South Dakota Newspaper Association nor any editorial from any of the white-owned newspapers like the Argus Leader. It was only after the newspaper was firebombed that the managing editor of the Rapid City Journal, Jim Carrier, wrote a strong article in support of Giago and the Lakota Times. Carrier wrote, “Can this really be happening in America? The rest of South Dakota’s media remained silent.

We bring this up because back in 1982 there were few newspapers on or near Indian reservations that practiced or even allowed freedom of the press. Most tribally owned newspapers were simply mouthpieces for the tribal government. Some newspapers have crossed editorial swords with tribal leaders and vanished.

One such newspaper, the South Piegan Drum of the Blackfeet Nation in Montana, published an article critical of the tribal chairman and soon discovered his wrath. He shut the paper down by cutting off its funding. The editor of another paper published by the Spirit Lake Tribe in North Dakota, asked the tribal council to publish the minutes of its meetings. The council refused.

The editor, a non-Indian named Randy Howell, rushed his last publication to the printer and beat it out of town one step ahead of the tar and feather brigade. The center of his last edition held two blank pages containing only the words, “The Minutes of the Spirit Lake Tribal Council.”