Post AYSt4lu1nDhwCYAP9U by Toastie@journa.host
 (DIR) More posts by Toastie@journa.host
 (DIR) Post #AYSt4lu1nDhwCYAP9U by Toastie@journa.host
       2023-08-06T19:06:27Z
       
       1 likes, 1 repeats
       
       Here’s an example of why #Indigenous #journalism matters.This article, a very good AP piece about #Klamath dam removal, does many things right: they quoted someone from an impacted tribe (this is a low bar, but you’d be astonished at how many articles don’t even bother to do this); they provided robust context for past and future challenges surrounding dam removal; they even gave Indigenous people the last word.Still, a couple opportunities for improvement.🧵 1/5https://apnews.com/article/klamath-dams-removal-tribes-restoration-seeds-1bffbd1c351992f0f164d81d92a81b47
       
 (DIR) Post #AYSt4nsKSVXMJrO4mX by Toastie@journa.host
       2023-08-06T19:09:00Z
       
       0 likes, 0 repeats
       
       Paragraph 10:Saying tribes historically “survived” on salmon, instead of e.g. “flourished” or “succeeded,” makes Native people sound primitive and unsophisticated.This is an amazingly common trope amongst even the most well-meaning non-Native writers. It frames us in a way that implies Natives were saved by colonization.🧵 2/5
       
 (DIR) Post #AYSt4pnnIL68INHTzU by Toastie@journa.host
       2023-08-06T19:10:01Z
       
       0 likes, 0 repeats
       
       In fact, colonization killed most Klamath salmon, and forced area tribes to rely on grocery stores to survive—but the reservations there don’t even have grocery stores. They’re food deserts. So saying they “historically survived” on salmon, while technically accurate, does not convey the reality—that tribes historically lived in abundance before colonization, and still rely on salmon today as they work to restore fish populations so both they and the fish can survive colonization.🧵 3/5
       
 (DIR) Post #AYSt4rZghl0DnChFHU by Toastie@journa.host
       2023-08-06T19:11:47Z
       
       0 likes, 0 repeats
       
       Paragraph 17:“Tribes have been invested in the process from the start.”In fact, it was tribes who initiated the dam removal process, two decades ago when they were getting laughed at for such a pie-in-the-sky goal. They’ve been LEADING the process from the start. Non-Native writers are almost pathologically resistant to the idea that tribes can be leaders, not just lackeys to white innovators. Again, while technically true, this phrasing perpetuates anti-Indigenous tropes.🧵 4/5
       
 (DIR) Post #AYSt4tN01u2dMQm8mW by Toastie@journa.host
       2023-08-06T19:12:25Z
       
       0 likes, 0 repeats
       
       I’m being picky, because these are two small details. But they matter. There’s no need for a good article like this to be marred by such flaws. Publications just need to hire Indigenous reporters and editors! 💚🧵 5/5