Last Updated on February 17, 2026
A newly published academic paper is calling for the creation of an Indigenous Global Media Network, arguing that Indigenous Peoples remain systematically excluded from global media systems at a time when international decisions affecting their lands, cultures and rights are intensifying.
The proposal, published Monday in Frontiers in Communication, was authored by Indigenous scholars Reynaldo A. Morales and Zella B. Milfred, both of whom have worked closely with Indigenous delegations in United Nations policy negotiations. The paper frames media exclusion not as a gap in coverage but as a structural outcome of colonial power relations embedded in global communication systems.
At the center of the proposal is 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 authors propose 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.
Under the proposal, Indigenous newsrooms would contribute reporting and programming to a shared platform, creating a centralized repository of Indigenous-produced journalism. Content could then be disseminated through digital platforms, broadcast partnerships and satellite systems, including programming designed to run parallel to United Nations negotiations on climate change, biodiversity and human rights.
Decisive negotiations are taking place globally, yet Indigenous perspectives are largely absent from the media narratives that inform public opinion and policy, the authors write. A caucus-monitored framework, they argue, would help prevent fragmentation among existing Indigenous outlets while strengthening collective visibility on the world stage.
“Despite thousands of web-based Indigenous media radio and TV stations, national networks, websites, and media apps, Indigenous Peoples’ voices and visibility in mainstream media and culture remain insufficient to address the complexity of their rights and struggles. An Indigenous Global Media Network would prevent content fragmentation and offer meaningful representation to Indigenous Peoples worldwide in their own terms,” the authors write.
The paper cites data from a 2025 UNESCO report showing that while Indigenous media are expanding online, only a small fraction have access to television, and many journalists face harassment, threats or violence. At the same time, the authors note that non-Indigenous media frequently lacks clear editorial standards for reporting on Indigenous issues, contributing to misrepresentation or erasure.
The proposed network emphasizes Indigenous ownership and editorial control, aligning with international standards such as the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. The authors stress that monitoring by the UN Indigenous Media Caucus would not mean centralized censorship, but rather coordination grounded in Indigenous governance systems, ethical protocols and data sovereignty principles.
Historically, Indigenous Peoples have used media—from early Indigenous-language newspapers to community radio—as tools of survival, resistance and self-determination. What is different now, the authors argue, is the technological capacity to connect local initiatives into a transnational system that is capable of shaping global policy discourse.
The paper does not outline a specific funding mechanism but it does call on governments, UN agencies, academic institutions and philanthropic organizations to recognize Indigenous media as an essential infrastructure for democratic participation and sustainable development.
An Indigenous Global Media Network, the authors conclude, would do more than amplify voices. It would reframe who controls knowledge, evidence and narrative authority in global decision-making—marking what they describe as a historic shift in the terms of representation between Indigenous Peoples and the rest of the world.
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