APTN National News
Indian Country Today Media Network has been a “precious resource” for over 35 years for Native Americans but has fallen on hard times.
Ray Cook, ICTMN writer and editor, says a “hiatus” will be announced on Sept. 4 while the national news source, for and about Indigenous people, looks for a partner or a buyer.
ICTMN has been owned by the Oneida Nation of New York for the past 18 years. Cook says Oneida has spent “eight figures on developing the product” during that time but “can’t carry the burden anymore.”
He says Oneida is “willing to sell the precious resource at bargain bin prices if there’s a buyer who will maintain the integrity” of ICTMN.
Cook says the owners don’t want “some Tribe buying it and turning it into a rag.”
ICTMN has faced that very criticism over the years, something Cook acknowledges.
“There were naysayers” says Cook in a phone interview. “But they were very few. ”
Cook says politics has never influenced what ICTMN covered or how it was covered. It was always about “moving Indian Country forward. It was about the people getting their voices out there. ”
ICTMN’s website is expected to keep recirculating stories over the coming days and months. If a buyer or partner is not found by December, Cook says the site will likely “be a static site.”
How about they keep it going and apply to Canada to Indian Affairs for the resources and monies to do so and apply to the crtc and all funding boards where cbc and others get their funding. You are on Algonquin land and as such you ARE a first Nations peoples and they in Canada and USA have NOT YET paid for TITLE to said lands and treaty of Ghent and such after 1812 war did NOT include PROPER land rights etc. so you ARE part of First Nations and all you have to do is STOP degrading the TRIBES saying that you don’t want a TRIBE to buy it to turn into a rag but rather you CAN PARTNER with First Nations in Canada make applications for ALL funding grants for publishers and magazines and literary journals as you do have recognized credible journalism and as news and information you can BRANCH OUT to RADIO licences and start RADIO NEWS in union with the daily print and ALSO get DIGITAL NEWS MEDIA FUNDING and licences from the CRTC which they CAN NOT DENY YOU SO START THINKING ABOUT PARTNERING WITH YOUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS ACROSS THE BORDER WHICH DID NOT EXIST IN FIRST NATIONS MAPS AND TERRITORIES AND AS AN ALGONQUIN PEOPLE PARTNER TOGETHER! 😉 WORK TO EXPAND THE BRAND! Don’t sell keep it going with FUNDING THEY ARE OBLIGATED TO PROVIDE! There are specific media funds and grants for media journalist documentarians etc. so apply but YES you DO need to PARTNER with a TRIBE! Stop dividing yourselves as people! Divided you fall UNITED YOU STAND FOREVER UNDER GOD HIS PEOPLE GOD BLESS! Best of Luck to you!
Why doesn’t APTN Partner with them? Apply for the funding?
CRTC can grant you tv and radio licences and you can apply for magazine and journalism and writing grants etc and business development money especially for Natives so why doesn’t Aptn Partner to show you are nationwide and have offices and media outlets across the continent. Expand? Get a bunch of the people from each tribe to apply through the educational grants to go to school for journalism and have them write about the culture in each area partner!