Support of Freedom of Information and Independent Native Media

WHEREAS, we, the members of the National Congress of American Indians of the United States, invoking the divine blessing of the Creator upon our efforts and purposes, in order to preserve for ourselves and our descendants the inherent sovereign rights of our Indian nations, rights secured under Indian treaties and agreements with the United States, and all other rights and benefits to which we are entitled under the laws and Constitution of the United States and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, to enlighten the public toward a better understanding of the Indian people, to preserve Indian cultural values, and otherwise promote the health, safety and welfare of the Indian people, do hereby establish and submit the following resolution; and

WHEREAS, the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) was established in 1944 and is the oldest and largest national organization of American Indian and Alaska Native tribal governments; and

WHEREAS, NCAI supports the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, the Native (Indigenous) Media Freedom Alliance, the Indigenous Journalists Association, the Society of Professional Journalists, and the adherence to the standards of accepted ethics of journalism as defined by these international and professional organizations; and

WHEREAS, those standards and ethics state that every person has the right to seek, receive and impart information and opinions freely, by any means of communication, without any discrimination for reasons of race, color, gender, sexual orientation, language, religion, political or other opinions, national or social origin, economic status, birth or any other social condition, with equal opportunity; and

WHEREAS, it is the policy of Tribal Nations to respect the civil rights of their people set forth in their respective Constitutions and Laws; and

WHEREAS, freedom of expression in all its forms and manifestations is a fundamental and inalienable right of all individuals; and

WHEREAS, restrictions to the free circulation of ideas and opinions, as well as the arbitrary imposition of information and obstacles to the free flow of information violate the right to freedom of expression; and

WHEREAS, NCAI resolution ABQ-03-042 supports a free and independent Native press and this resolution builds upon that foundation.

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) does hereby affirm policies regarding the role of a free press, and the adoption of standards and practices thereto, as vital to the foundational infrastructure of sovereign, thriving Tribal Nations.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the NCAI supports the principles of free speech, the rights of Native people to have access to freedom of information and to create independent media and communicate in a free and open manner; and that this includes all Tribal media, Tribal Citizens, independent Native-led media, and Tribally enrolled Native journalists.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the NCAI supports the principle of intra-Tribal communications in that Native communities have the right to be informed about the activities of their leadership and governance, including provision of access to tribal public records and data collected for Tribal use, and support of objective reporting; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that NCAI encourages the application of culturally-informed standards and practices for the employment of these principles to create Tribal regulations, codes, policies and procedures that assert sovereignty and ensure freedom of the press and freedom of information; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that these civil liberties of the People will not be abridged;

BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, that this resolution shall be the policy of NCAI until it is withdrawn or modified by subsequent resolution.

Certification

The foregoing resolution was adopted by the General Assembly at the 2026 Annual Convention of the National Congress of American Indians, held October 18-22, 2026, in Palm Springs, California, with a quorum present.