Investigative stories & projects

Misplaced Trust: The United States was founded with stolen Indigenous land. Public institutions are still profiting from it today.
Grist, 2024–2025

The Human Cost of Conservation: Geographically defined “protected areas” are one of the new global fronts against climate change. But many of those areas are already occupied by Indigenous peoples, whose rights are increasingly being violated in the name of conservation.
Grist, 2022–2024

A Group Claiming To Be Cherokee Faces Questions About Authenticity: The Mount Tabor Indian Community and a statue they helped erect are examples of serious failures by officials to vet claims to Indigenous nation status, federally recognized tribal leaders say.
Texas Observer/NBC, 2021

Texas Draws Criticism With Plan to Lure Tourists to Sites Where Indigenous People Were Banished: Nations once exterminated or displaced are now being asked to help bring in tourism dollars.
Texas Observer/The Guardian, 2021

Governments created an informational black hole for Indigenous communities and COVID-19: How did the pandemic affect the 576 tribal nations across the US? Due to a lack of government transparency, we may never know. (Full investigation here)
Poynter, 2021

The Anti-Indigenous Handbook: Across the globe, anti-Indigenous organizations and sympathizers work to undermine the collective rights of Indigenous peoples.
Texas Observer, 2020

Land-Grab Universities: Expropriated Indigenous land is the foundation of the land-grant university system.
High Country News, 2020

National Congress of American Indians roiled by claims of harassment and misconduct: Indian Country’s most prominent advocacy group will meet this month amid massive staff departures and calls for investigations.
High Country News, 2018

What happened on the Wind River Reservation? How the feds helped a uranium company take Native land in the 1950s — leaving behind contaminated water and unanswered questions.
Wyoming Public Radio, 2012

Feature Writing

In Sweden, a proposed iron mine threatens a World Heritage Site — and the people that made it: How some UNESCO World Heritage Sites can threaten Indigenous lives.
Grist, 2023

In Defense of Darkness: Artificial light is polluting the night sky. What do we stand to lose?
Grist, 2022

Native Americans are recasting views of Indigenous life: By countering the racist fixations that have plagued stories of Native American culture, they hope to reverse the “invisibility” that many feel.
National Geographic, 2018

How “Rez Accents” Strengthen Native Identity: Research shows that ethnic identity is shaped not only by the loss—and revitalization—of mother tongues but also by the remixing of English.
Yes!, 2017

In epic land grab, Finland’s new forest law puts indigenous in crosshairs of development: Government officials say the act is an administrative change necessary to be in compliance with European Union trade laws.
Fusion, 2016

Why a Talking Puppet Is Teaching Kids an Endangered Language: Of 194 languages remaining in North America, nearly 63 percent are spoken only by adults or elders. That’s why children’s television programming is key.
Yes!, 2016

Tribes Redraw Land Boundaries—With GPS and a Small Fleet of Drones: From the Standing Rock Sioux to the Wounaan in Panama, indigenous communities are staking claims to traditional territories even when they no longer possess ownership rights.
Yes!, 2016

Navajo Nation’s nutrition crisis: Al Jazeera looks at a community where 1 in 3 are diabetic or at risk
Al Jazeera America, 2015

The United States of Bus Travel: The people you meet in this country are a trip.
Al Jazeera America, 2015

The Navajo Nation Just Passed a Junk Food Tax. Too Bad Junk Food is All You Can Buy.
TPM, 2015

Bringing Up the Bodies: One woman’s search for remains in the Bakken oil fields
Al Jazeera America, 2015

Minnesota tribe invokes treaty rights in fight to stop pipeline: Proposed $2.5 billion Sandpiper pipeline would cut through White Earth Nation’s wild rice beds harvested for centuries
Al Jazeera America, 2015

Domestic Abusers Have Gone Unpunished in Native American Country — Until Now: There was nothing Michael Valenzuela could do about it. Nobody could, really.
VICE, 2015

Radio on the Reservation: Native Americans tune into an old-fashioned technology that keeps languages — and communities — alive
Al Jazeera America, 2014

The Code for Farewell: Saying goodbye to the last Seminole Code Talker.
Al Jazeera America, 2014

No Veteran Left Alone: The Kiowa Tribe of Oklahoma honors its warriors with a ceremony more than 300 years old.
Al Jazeera America, 2014

The coolest cowboys are from Indian Country at national rodeo finals: At the Indian National Finals Rodeo, Native Americans give lessons on what a 21st century cowboy looks like
Al Jazeera America, 2013

Criticism & Practice

Billie Eilish, stolen land, and the climate cost of America’s dispossession: Returning Indigenous land won’t destroy civilization, it could save it.
Grist, 2026

An independent assessment of National Geographic’s ‘Indigenous Futures’ special issue: National Geographic’s “Indigenous Futures” issue cannot erase its history of more than a century of arguably voyeuristic and racist storytelling.
National Geographic, 2024

Covering Climate as an Indigenous Affairs Beat: On harnessing the expertise of Indigenous journalists to report on the environment.
Nieman Reports, 2023

A monument to violence built on stolen land: The art world sees a megasculpture masterpiece; others see a tribute to American colonialism.
Grist, 2022

Ask Who Paid for America’s Universities: Cornell, Virginia Tech, Ohio State and many more were created with wealth stolen from Indigenous people.
New York Times, 2020

Assessing An NPR Report On The Indian Child Welfare Act: A Dec. 17 report on All Things Considered about the Indian Child Welfare Act prompted harsh criticism from the Native American Journalists Association, which called it “inaccurate and imprecise.”
NPR, 2019

When conservation provides a cover for anti-Indigenous sentiments: A nation of laws cannot exist on stolen land.
High Country News, 2019

Threats to Indigenous press freedom as a tribe rolls back protections: With a recent attack on press freedom, the Muscogee (Creek) Nation has made clear that independent journalism has no home in the fourth largest tribe in the US.
Columbia Journalism Review, 2018

Democrats, Don’t Take Native American Voters for Granted: The party ignored voter suppression in Indian Country until a Senate seat in North Dakota was at risk.
New York Times, 2018

Telling Indigenous Stories: Neglecting to cover Indigenous stories not only represents a missed opportunity, but a significant failure for an industry hoping to find relevance in the 21st century.
Nieman Reports, 2017

Tribal radio stations may go dark under Donald Trump: President Trump’s proposal for privatizing the CPB could have significant, negative effects on tribal media.
Al Jazeera English, 2017

How media did and did not report on Standing Rock: Native American issues are only media sexy when natives with painted faces and horses are around.
Al Jazeera English, 2016

News

Denver cop with tattoo resembling militia group logo killed tribal citizen in 2015: Officer Michael Traudt says he is not a member of the Three Percenters.
High Country News, 2018

Will Historic Standing Rock Talks Change U.S.-Tribe Relationships? The Department of Justice promised to consider nationwide reform in how the U.S. treats tribal land. Legal experts consider what, exactly, that might look like.
Yes!, 2016

Dust and Diesel in the USA: The Mint 400 off-road race roars through the Mojave Desert
Al Jazeera America, 2015

One woman’s campaign for safe sex in Navajo Nation: Poverty, geography and stigma combine to turn parts of Indian Country into ‘condom desert’
Al Jazeera America, 2015

Stealing cows for meth: Oklahoma links cattle thefts to drug use
Al Jazeera America, 2015

After river disaster, Navajo doubts about pollution linger: Many tribal members view this year’s crops with despair, after Animas River contamination from gold mine waste
Al Jazeera America, 2015

Shooting of Native man shines light on police killings: Death of Paul Castaway reflects that American Indians are most likely racial group to be killed by law enforcement
Al Jazeera America, 2015

Snowfields in Beartooth Mountains melt away into history: With snow disappearing from the landscape, climate change is affecting Wyoming’s agriculture and way of life
Al Jazeera America, 2015

Navajo elections finally get underway: Presidential election was delayed for the Native American tribe as the leading candidate was not fluent in the language
Al Jazeera America, 2015

Oklahoma Kiowas feel pride with their man at the World Cup: Chris Wondolowski is the first tribally enrolled Native American to play on the US team
Al Jazeera America, 2014

Dueling Markets Show Native American Art Is Big Business: The 93rd annual Santa Fe Indian Market is only a month away.
NPR, 2014

Seattle Swaps Columbus Day For ‘Indigenous Peoples’ Day’: The name change comes after activists pushed for a day to honor indigenous people instead of Christopher Columbus
NPR, 2014

Medicaid Expansion To Provide More Care For Native Americans: Next year, just over 200,000 Native Americans will become eligible for Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act.
NPR, 2013

Mentally Ill Patients In New Mexico Scrambling To Find Help: This summer, New Mexico froze Medicaid payments to several mental health agencies due to “credible allegations of fraud.”
NPR, 2013

Researchers Use Genetic History To Answer Mutation Questions: In the Southwest, a rare genetic disorder known as Common Hispanic Mutation has haunted those of Spanish-colonial descent for nearly 400 years.
NPR, 2013

Tribal Leaders Worry About Future Of Medicaid: New Mexico has one of the largest Native American populations in the nation with over 200,000 registered tribal members and it’s estimated that nearly 40% lacks health insurance.
KUNM, 2012

Wyoming Tribe Wins Right To Hunt Two Bald Eagles: For Native Americans, performing traditional religious ceremonies isn’t always so simple.
NPR, 2012

Regional Drought Blamed For Moose Decline In Wyoming: Wildlife outfitters in Wyoming are hurting because of the declining moose population.
NPR, 2011

Native American Intermarriage Puts Benefits At Risk: Native Americans intermarry at higher rates than any other group in the country, according to U.S. Census data.
NPR, 2011

Grizzlies Test Products To Keep Out The Average Bear: Last summer marked an all-time high for human-bear conflicts in Yellowstone National Park.
NPR, 2011

A venture into the 23rd annual Wyoming Taxidermy Competition: The call of nature echoes rather lamely from a stuffed elk or kudu, and that can only mean one thing: It’s the 23rd annual Wyoming Taxidermy Competition.
Wyoming Public Radio, 2011

Paying Attention to the Native American Vote: Votes of Native Americans could impact several battleground states
FRONTLINE, 2008

Education Issues Weigh on Tribal Voters in South Dakota, Montana: Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton are courting the Native vote and their pitches both revolve around improving the educational systems in Indian country.
PBS News Hour, 2008