Perspective on journalism: Antonia Gonzales
Photo by Shannon Swain, used with permission.
Antonia Gonzales is a member of the Navajo Nation and anchor and producer of the award-winning “National Native News,” a nationally syndicated radio program airing on public radio stations in the U.S. and Canada. She also has reported for New Mexico PBS and worked as a one-woman-band television reporter for the CBS affiliate in Southeastern New Mexico.
April interviewed Gonzales in 2019 after a ceremony where she was awarded the “Distinguished Lecturer” Eunson Award from Northern Arizona University. They spoke about a variety of topics including:
How she got started
“National Native News” and covering indigenous issues
Encouraging young Native journalists
Advice for non-Native journalists covering Native issues
Her perspective on the incident at the Indigenous Peoples March
““I got a great mentor, Conroy Chino. He was one of the first Native American television reporters in Albuquerque and also in L.A.””
Here, Gonzales describes how she got her start in journalism.
““We need to be telling our own stories, shedding light. Who knows better about our history, our culture, languages than us?”
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As the anchor and producer of “National Native News,” Gonzales talks about the program and covering indigenous issues.
““There are a number of native journalists and I think that our recent “Native Election Night Live” that we did with Indian Country Today and First Nations [Experience] television... really highlighted that because all of our reporters were Native and there were more than 15 across the country.” ”
Next, Gonzales talks about encouraging young Native journalists and some of the work currently being done by indigenous people.
The discussion references this article about two Native American journalists from Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. Gonzales discusses "Native Election Night Live” in the conversation as well.
““If it’s a nearby tribe or a native group in a city just get to know people, learn a little bit about the history and the culture. And it’s okay to ask people when you go in ‘what can I talk about,’ ‘what can I film’ or ‘what can I take a picture of?’”
”Every tribe is different.””
Gonzales offers advice for non-Native journalists who want to do stories in Indian Country.
““As a native person I tried not to react instantly because I think a lot of the reaction was to choose sides, and definitely in journalism we’re taught not to do that, not to choose sides.””
Next, Gonzales describes her initial thoughts about the incident between Covington Catholic High School student Nick Sandmann and Native American elder Nathan Phillips near the Lincoln Memorial in January 2019.