Native American and non-Indian newspaper coverage of land and resource issues in the self-determination era

Media analysis can be used to track trends over time. In this research, 1,969 articles covering Native American land and resource issues were studied for the period 1970–1994. The articles came from three mainstream newspapers and three Native American-controlled newspapers representing three different regions: the Southwest, the Northern Plains, and the Northeast. The analysis indicated that there were important differences between native and nonnative media. It also indicated that the federal policy of “self-determination” for Native Americans has not been implemented in the area of control of land and natural resources.