Why NAJA ROCKS!

    For this blog entry I attempted to researched the Native American Journalists Association. Their website provides a brief mission statement explaining NAJA's purpose. "NAJA serves and empowers NAtive Journalists through programs and actions designed to enrich journalism and promote Native cultures." Along with promoting culture, NAJA also recognizes Native Americans as a separate society based on tradition and culture. They say, through this initiative, they would like to promote diversity, free press, speech, and expression. Continually, they raise awareness for Native American's in the media, and hope to ensure that mainstream and Native American media obtain a high standard of professionalism.
     The Native American Journalist Association's website is an important tool in educating media professionals because it provides a different culture's perspective on one avenue of mass media. Also, they provide  various sections for jobs in the media profession such as print, radio, web, television, and reporting. Furthermore, the website provides a list of contact information in case another media professional  would like to get in touch with a member of NAJA.
    Continually, the website establishes NAJA's credibility by listing their numerous awards  and scholarship recipients. The Native American Journalist Association also holds an annual convention including programs like Native voices, where students majoring in journalism produce a daily newspaper, radio or television newscast, or a website through the program. NAJA also takes stereotyping  very seriously, which perpetuates the idea of diversity in the media. For instance, they denounced a Wisconsin man for cheering on runners in a triathlon for dressing in a traditional headdress and loincloth.