Independent news from the Indigenous Media Freedom Alliance

NBC Universal lends support to Indigenous Media Freedom Alliance for creative short film

It’s our goal to spotlight the culture and traditions of Native peoples in our reporting. As American Indians, we hail from a long tradition of storytellers. In honor of telling the stories of our ancestors and relatives, we recently chose to tell one of those stories through an animated short film.

We are pleased to announce that NBC Universal awarded the Indigenous Media Freedom Alliance a $10,000 grant in September to support the final phase of this work. The grant supports our creative vision as we embrace our Indigenous roots.

Our work at the IMFA and our online news site, buffalosfire.com, is possible today because of the help of foundations and organizations that believe in the power of local news and Native perspectives. We thank funders such as NBC Universal for supporting our mission and vision. 

“NBC Universal is one of the world’s leading media and entertainment companies. We create world-class content, which we distribute across our portfolio of film, television, and streaming, and bring to life through our theme parks and consumer experiences,” according to the company website. “We own and operate leading entertainment and news brands, including NBC, NBC News, MSNBC, CNBC, NBC Sports, Telemundo, NBC Local Stations, Bravo, USA Network, and Peacock, our premium ad-supported streaming service.”

NBCUniversal is a subsidiary of Comcast Corporation that produces and distributes premier filmed entertainment and programming through Universal Filmed Entertainment Group and Universal Studio Group. 

We look forward to updating our readers about our animated short film. 

Until then, keep reading the newsletter for more updates on our exciting plans to use the Ford grant to continue our journalism and media work in our wonderful Native communities. 

Jodi Rave Spotted Bear, Founder and Director, Indigenous Media Freedom Alliance

Wááshirahere’- Thank you.

Publisher, Buffalo’s Fire

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Jodi Rave Spotted Bear

Jodi Rave Spotted Bear is the founder and director of the Indigenous Media Freedom Alliance, a 501-C-3 nonprofit organization with offices in Bismarck, N.D. and the Fort Berthold Reservation. Jodi spent 15 years reporting for the mainstream press. She's been awarded prestigious Nieman and John S. Knight journalism fellowships at Harvard and Stanford, respectively. She also an MIT Knight Science Journalism Project fellow. Her writing is featured in "The Authentic Voice: The Best Reporting on Race and Ethnicity," published by Columbia University Press. Jodi currently serves as a Society of Professional Journalists at-large board member, an SPJ Foundation board member, and she chairs the SPJ Freedom of Information Committee. Jodi has won top journalism awards from mainstream and Native press organizations. She earned her journalism degree from the University of Colorado at Boulder.