Last Updated on March 17, 2026
After generations of marginalization in global newsrooms, Indigenous journalism is gaining long-overdue ground with major media organizations and international alliances investing in coverage led by and rooted in Indigenous communities.
On February 23, the Associated Press announced the creation of the Global Indigenous Reporting Network, a collaborative effort linking newsrooms with dedicated Indigenous coverage. The initiative is designed to expand the reach of Indigenous reporting through partnerships.
Organizers say the network aims not only to amplify stories but to strengthen the capacity of Indigenous-focused outlets, combining local knowledge with global distribution. Early collaborations have already produced multi-platform reporting reaching millions, demonstrating how shared resources can extend the visibility of Indigenous issues beyond regional boundaries.
Less than two weeks later, Mongabay launched a new Indigenous reporting desk, expanding its efforts to center Indigenous voices in coverage of biodiversity and climate change. The initiative prioritizes Indigenous journalists and sources, addressing what the organization describes as systemic underrepresentation in environmental media.
A third effort was announced this week by the Public Media Alliance (PMA). According to their press statement, seven Indigenous leaders for public service media and media organizations united to form the new collective, Indigenous Public Media (IPM).
“Spanning the Sámi ancestral lands to Oceania, Aotearoa New Zealand to North America, IPM unites global public media powerhouses, including the ABC, NITV, CBC/Radio-Canada, RNZ, NRK Sápmi, and Swedish Radio, to reclaim Indigenous narratives and ensure Indigenous voices are not just participants in public media, but also its architects,” the statement reads.
The group aims to share content, develop an international news exchange and promote Indigenous approaches to journalism that differ from conventional Western frameworks.
There may be more efforts on the way. Just a couple weeks before the Associated Press made their announcement, a group of Indigenous scholars called for the creation of a coordinated, Indigenous-led global media framework that would curate and distribute news produced by Indigenous-owned outlets across the world’s seven UN-designated sociocultural regions.
The scholars proposed that the framework be monitored by the UN Indigenous Media Caucus, positioning the caucus as a steward to help ensure Indigenous governance, editorial independence and accountability across participating media organizations.
What is emerging here is not a temporary shift, but a structural reckoning within journalism itself. For too long, Indigenous peoples have been heavily marginalized in the global media ecosystem.
These new initiatives signal a turning point. By investing in Indigenous-led reporting and building networks that prioritize collaboration over extraction, media organizations are beginning to confront those gaps in a meaningful way. The result is not only broader coverage, but deeper, more accountable storytelling that reflects lived realities, historical continuity and the enduring relationship between Indigenous peoples and the land.
Whether this momentum leads to lasting change will depend on sustained commitment. But the direction is clear: Indigenous journalism is no longer waiting at the margins. It is asserting its place at the center, where it has always belonged.
Across the world right now, Indigenous peoples are facing a renewed assault on their lands, rights, and ways of life.
From extractive industries pushing deeper into ancestral territories, to governments rolling back hard-won protections,
the threat is global—and it is growing.
What makes this moment especially dangerous is how little attention it receives.
Stories like this are disappearing in real time. Mainstream media
barely covers it and the coverage is fragmented. The public is left without the context
needed to understand what is truly at stake.
That is exactly why IC Magazine exists..
For more than 20 years, IC has reported on Indigenous struggles worldwide — consistently, independently, and without compromise.
We don’t follow news cycles; we trace patterns. We don’t sensationalize; we provide context.
And when the world looks away, we stay focused.
But this work is increasingly difficult to sustain.
We refuse to lock our reporting behind a paywall. We don’t sell access through subscriptions.
And we don’t answer to advertisers. IC Magazine survives solely because readers like you choose to
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Please donate today if you can. Every contribution helps us to continue this crucial work.
Thank you,
John Ahni Schertow
Founder and Editor in Chief
