TheLakota Times was founded in 1981 by journalistTim Giago (Oglala Lakota). The newspaper was based on thePine Ridge Indian Reservation and operated independently of tribal government.[1] In 1989 the newspaper's offices moved toRapid City, South Dakota, and in 1992 Giago changed the publication's name toIndian Country Today.[2]
In 1998, Giago soldIndian Country Today to Standing Stone Media Inc., an enterprise of theOneida Indian Nation of New York, and the newspaper's headquarters moved toCentral New York.[3] In 2011, operations moved toNew York City andIndian Country Today becameIndian Country Today Media Network.[4] In 2013, the printed newspaper ceased publication, replaced by digital-first online reporting and a weekly news magazine available online and in print.[5]
On September 4, 2017, publication of new content was temporarily suspended to explore alternativebusiness models.[6][7] In October 2017, the Oneida Indian Nation donatedIndian Country Today to theNational Congress of American Indians (NCAI).[8]
On February 28, 2018, after a hiatus during the transfer of ownership to NCAI,Indian Country Today announced its return.[9] The site resumed regular publication, withMark Trahant (Shoshone-Bannock) as editor and Vincent Schilling (Akwesasne Mohawk) as associate editor.[10]Gradually new staff was added, with a renewed focus on Native American writers and editors. On July 24, 2019, the publication's headquarters moved to the campus of theWalter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication atArizona State University inPhoenix. Trahant wrote on social media that he would be hiring a team to build a televised news program and improveIndian Country Today's national report. By the end of 2019, the publication had a bureau atAlaska Pacific University inAnchorage, in addition to its newsroom in Phoenix and its bureau inWashington, D.C.[citation needed]
In February 2020, theSan Manuel Band of Mission Indians awarded a grant of $1 million toIndian Country Today and became founding partner for a national news broadcast aboutAmerican Indian andAlaska Native issues.[11][12] In March, Katie Oyan (Oglala Lakota) was announced as the publication's firstmanaging editor.[13] She was on loan from theAssociated Press, and upon returning to the AP in February 2021 she was succeeded by Jourdan Bennett-Begaye (Diné), who had served asIndian Country Today's Washington, D.C. editor and, later, assistant managing editor.[14]
On March 26, 2021, ownership ofIndian Country Today was transferred from NCAI to an Arizona501(c)(3) organization, IndiJ Public Media, led by Karen Michel (Ho-Chunk).[15] In January 2022, Jourdan Bennett-Begaye assumed the role of executive editor, taking over from Mark Trahant.[16] On June 23, 2022,Indian Country Today was renamed toICT.[17][18]
In December 2014,Indian Country Today published a series of articles on the controversial 2015National Defense Authorization Act "land swap" provision that would give land sacred to theSan Carlos Apache Indian Reservation in Arizona toResolution Copper Mine [RCM], a joint venture owned byRio Tinto andBHP. More than 104,000 people had signed a petition to President Obama, "We the People | Stop Apache Land Grab" to which theWhite House gave an official response.[22]
Since before 2016,ICT reported on issues related to theDakota Access Pipeline project, which proposed to put an oil pipeline extending through four states below theMissouri River. The Standing Rock Sioux objected to theArmy Corps of Engineers' acceptance of less than a full Environmental Impact Statement, saying the project threatened their water quality and would destroy ancient artifacts and burial grounds. Standing Rock Sioux sought an injunction to halt construction of the pipeline. The case attracted national and international attention and coverage. After a federal court refused the injunction, theDepartment of Justice,Department of Interior and Army Corps of Engineers entered the case at the national level, halting construction temporarily. Standing Rock Sioux protesters at the site were joined by activists from hundreds of other Tribes and supporters, including indigenous peoples from South America.ICT published its first "single-subject, event-driven edition in [its] history" in October 2016, based on the reporting done and exploring the many complex issues related to the project and protests.[23]
On July 27, 2018,Indian Country Today began posting theirVideo News Report on YouTube, hosted by associate editor Vincent Schilling.
On November 5, 2018,Indian Country Today teamed withFirst Nations Experience and Native Voice One in broadcasting and streaming the first national news report focused on Native American candidates from coast to coast. A team of 18 correspondents reported from sites across the United States, including Alaska and Hawaii. The election desk was anchored by Mark Trahant, editor ofIndian Country Today.
ICT has won numerous awards at theNative American Journalists Association. In 2014, the publication earned 17 awards, including Best Digital Publication for its 12-page digital newsletter and first place for General Excellence.[24] In 2013, ICTMN won 11 awards at the conference.[citation needed]
^Chavez, Aliyah (June 23, 2022).Indian Country Today is now ICT (Television news production). ICT Newscast. Event occurs at 19:18.Archived from the original on September 28, 2024.
^"The Shared Pain of New Orleans",ANC Today, (September 9–15, 2005)
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