The Indigenous Journalists Association (IJA) and Solutions Journalism Network are excited to announce the selected newsrooms in the Climate Beacon Newsroom Initiative Indigenous Climate Solutions Cohort. 

The Indigenous Journalists Association’s mission is centered on the idea that accurate and contextual reporting about Indigenous people and communities is necessary to overcome biases and stereotypes portrayed in popular and mainstream media. Expanding access to accurate news and information is essential to an informed citizenry and healthy democracy, across tribal, local, state and national levels.

Over the course of a year, the five selected Indigenous-led and -serving newsrooms will gain a deep understanding of solutions journalism and use these skills to produce meaningful climate solutions coverage for and with their communities. 

In study after study, climate change appears as one of the top issues making people most anxious about the future and least optimistic that the problem can be solved. The Solutions Journalism Network is committed to helping newsrooms shift this narrative to feature solutions and train newsrooms to rigorously cover evidence-based responses to the climate crisis.

The Indigenous Climate Solutions Cohort is the third iteration of SJN’s Climate Beacon Newsroom Initiative (CBNI). Launched in 2023, the CBNI supports newsrooms in strengthening solutions-focused climate reporting newsroom-wide. In its first edition, nine newsrooms engaged their communities before reporting, prioritizing local voices and tracking the impact of their stories. In 2024, the initiative expanded with a new cohort of five newsrooms, enhancing climate solutions reporting specifically through visual storytelling. 

“We’re thrilled to continue CBNI in partnership with IJA this year,” says Angela K. Evans, communities of practice director at SJN. “With this partnership, we have an opportunity to support Indigenous journalists as they offer a more accurate portrayal of their communities, and a more complete story of a complicated, changing climate and how people are responding.” 

Through in-depth solutions reporting, these newsrooms will delve into stories of creativity, ingenuity and strength, as well as help their communities solve problems. Participants will gather monthly to learn from each other and receive training, coaching and support from Evans and IJA Board Member Joseph Lee (Aquinnah Wampanoag). 

“I am so excited to work with these five newsrooms and continue this valuable partnership between IJA and SJN. The diversity of this cohort shows the strength of Indigenous journalism and I am looking forward to the meaningful, impactful work they will produce,” he says.

The selected cohort represents varied geographies from Hawai’i to Oklahoma, as well as tribally affiliated free press, independent Indigenous newsrooms, and Indigenous affairs teams at mainstream outlets. The newsrooms publish in a variety of media, including audio, digital, print and video. Read more about the selected participants below. 

The Hawaiʻi Radio Hour is a news-and-variety show from the Kahilu Theater in Waimea. The show celebrates Hawaiʻiʻs varied storytelling traditions and the generational transfer of knowledge. The Hawaiʻi Radio Hour is the outlet for the Hawaiʻi Storytellers Fellowship, a program that trains, coaches and nurtures Hawaiʻiʻs next generation of trusted storytellers.

“We are excited to have our fellows, who are young reporters and producers, work with seasoned professionals and learn a new approach and skill set. We know that this collaboration will yield remarkable results for our newsroom and our community and we are grateful for the opportunity. Mahalo!” 

KOSU is an NPR member station based in Oklahoma, dedicated to sparking curiosity with stories, resources, events and information that connect people.

“I am excited to participate in the first CBNI Indigenous Solutions Cohort to meet and learn from other talented Indigenous journalists and folks who are experts in solution-oriented storytelling. Often, stories about climate change and the environment can feel overwhelming due to the way they are presented. Similarly, coverage of Indigenous communities often follows a similar pattern. So, I am ready to equip myself with new skills to better serve my community through a more effective approach to storytelling.” – KOSU Indigenous affairs reporter Sarah Liese.

The Mvskoke News is an editorially independent and constitutionally-protected tribal free press of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation that aims to be the voice of the Mvskoke people, distributing information throughout the reservation and beyond. 

New Mexico In Depth is a nonprofit newsroom that produces investigative, data-rich stories with an eye on solutions and, through their collaborative series with NMPBS, Indigenously Positive, uplifts Native joy. 

“We’re grateful to be joining a group of passionate Indigenous journalists focused on climate solutions, and we look forward to exploring some of the urgent mitigation and adaptation work tribal communities in New Mexico are doing to protect public health and traditional ways of life.”

Underscore Native News is a nonprofit newsroom committed to in-depth, Indigenous-centered reporting in the Pacific Northwest.

“With this funding and training, our newsroom will be able to bring the solutions journalism model to our reporting and tell stories about tribes who are facing some of the most severe effects of climate change and how they are responding to the crisis.” – Lyric Aquino, Indigenous Affairs Reporter at Underscore Native News and Report for America Corps Member