NPR’s Next Generation Radio Project partners with NAJA and KOSU in Oklahoma City to host second digital workshop
NORMAN, Oklahoma – The Next Generation Radio Project, in partnership with the Native American Journalists Association and KOSU in Oklahoma City announced the 2021 cohort for the second NAJA-NPR NextGenRadio: Indigenous.
This five-day, digital-first workshop Nov. 1-6 centers Indigenous stories and storytellers. The project is offered at no cost to early-career Indigenous journalists reporting in or near a tribal community, and is an immersive training opportunity to learn more about non-narrated audio storytelling, and other forms of digital journalism.
The project will be conducted remotely and in-person, with selected participants reporting from their communities, and is designed to enhance coverage of Indigenous affairs with Indigenous voices. Participants, paired with a more experienced partner and advisor throughout the workshop, will find and produce these multimedia stories.
2021 NAJA-NextGenRadio: Indigenous cohort:
Lyndsey Brollini (Haida)
Reporter, KTOO, Juneau, Alaska
Lyndsey hín uu díi kya’áang. Díi uu X̱aat’áagang. My name is Lyndsey. I am Haida. I grew up in Anchorage, Alaska. I wasn’t super connected to my Native identity growing up. But my college experience encouraged me to learn more about it, and moving to Juneau became part of that journey. I wasn’t intending to stay in Juneau either. I was here for a summer internship, but that turned into a job. And I never left. Now I’m proud to be able to bring an Alaska Native perspective to reporting in Juneau.
Miacel Spotted Elk (Navajo/Northern Cheyenne)
University of Utah
Miacel Spotted Elk is a Navajo/Northern Cheyenne freelance journalist who recently interned on NPR’s Washington Desk. She focuses on covering how national politics affects indigenous and vice-versa. A member of the Navajo Nation who grew up near Bears Ears in Utah, she is working on her bachelor’s degree at The University of Utah. An alumnus of ProPublica’s Data Institute, The New York Times Student Journalism Institute and a member of the Investigative Reporters and Editors organization, she is committed to a career in investigative journalism.
Heather Gomez (Jicarilla Apache Nation)
Editor-in-Chief, Dulce, New Mexico
My name is Heather C. Gomez and I am half Jicarilla Apache and half Northern New Mexican Spanish. I grew up in Dulce, NM, and graduated with my AAS Degree in Digital Media & Art Design from San Juan College. I went to the Southwest University of Visual Arts in Albuquerque, NM for my BA degree in Graphic Design with a minor in Marketing & Advertising. I transferred my credits to Southern New Hampshire University where I plan to finish my last two semesters in Graphic Design. I am the Editor of the Jicarilla Chieftain Newspaper.
Robert Haukaas (Eastern Shoshone/Northern Arapaho/Sioux)
Institute for American Indian Arts, Santa Fe, New Mexico
Hi, my name is Robert Haukaas, but I like to be called Rob. I like to step out of my comfort zone, sometimes. I am 21-years-old, I am married, and I have a cat. I am from the Wind River Reservation, and I am enrolled in the Eastern Shoshone tribe. I like creating nonfiction or fiction pieces, I like writing poetry sometimes, my hobbies are playing games or trying to grow my bonsai tree. I love to spend time with my wife and cook for her. I plan to get my bachelor’s degree. I love Halloween.
Storm Tso (Hopi/Navajo)
Marketing Coordinator, KUYI, Hopi Radio, Arizona
My name is Tsifletnum which means Antelope Walking In A Line. My government name is Storm Tso. I am Hopi and Navajo. I come from the village of Sipaulovi and am of the Water Clan. I am currently the Marketing Coordinator for KUYI Hopi Radio and a part time student. I plan on getting degrees in both Wildlife Conservation and Mass Communications.
Project Staff
Project Founder/Director
Doug Mitchell – NPR’s Next Generation Radio Project
Managing Editors
Jourdan Bennett-Begaye (Diné) – Managing Editor, Indian Country Today
Traci Tong – Freelance Editor, Public Media Journalists Association
Adreanna Rodriguez – Producer/Editor, VICE News.
Digital Editors
Lita Beck – Equity Issues Editor, The Arizona Republic/Gannett
Joanne Griffith – Chief Content Officer, American Public Media Group Studios
Audio Engineers
Selena Seay-Reynolds – Freelance Audio Engineer
Patrice Mondragon – Audio Engineer, Colorado Public Radio
Eric Abercrombie – Freelance Sound Designer
Illustrators
Emily Whang – Freelance Illustrator
Ard Su – Freelance Illustrator
Eejoon Choi – Freelance Illustrator
Visuals
Erica Lee – Freelance Visual Journalist
Kevin Beaty – Visual Journalist, The Denverite & Colorado Public Radio
Mentors
Christine Trudeau (Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation) – Contributing Editor, High Country News Indigenous Affairs Desk
Cristela Guerra – Arts and Culture Reporter, WBUR
Sam Yellowhorse Kesler (Navajo) – Codeswitch Fellow, NPR
Taylar Stagner (Shoshone and Arapaho) – Tribal Affairs Reporter, Yellowstone Public Radio
Seth Bodine – Agriculture and Rural Issues Reporter, KOSU
