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Report for America corps member will cover ‘Indian Education’ and local news for Buffalo’s Fire in North Dakota
Adrianna Adame, Report for America corps member visits wtih Lucy Fredericks, director of Indian/multicultural education, during the North Dakota Indian Education Summit at the North Dakota State Capitol on Friday, July 7. (Photo/Jodi Rave Spotted Bear)
The addition of reporter Adrianna Adame will amplify solutions-oriented stories
Buffalo’s Fire is excited to announce the addition of Report for America corps member Adrianna Adame as a full-time staff writer to the team. In recent years, the BuffalosFire.com newsroom has relied on part-time staff writers, freelancers, and stories from contributing newsrooms. Adame’s new “Indigenous Democracy” beat promises to fill a news gap with Native news in North Dakota.
“When I first began journalism, I barely saw Natives in the news.,” said Adame. “While I put my focus on covering diverse and underrepresented communities, it’s always been my dream to report on Indigenous people. After I graduated with my master’s degree from Syracuse University, I applied for Report for America.
“Buffalo’s Fire instantly caught my eye because of their drive to inform Indigenous people of news that is happening within their own communities. As I looked more into Buffalo’s Fire, I began to identify more with their mission and felt like it would be a perfect match for me,” she said.
“Indian education is another one of those vastly underreported topics that deserves as much attention as other beats in journalism. Covering Indian education is important not just to Indian youth, but Indigenous communities as a whole.”
Adrianna Adame, Report for America corps member and full-time staff writer for Buffalo’s Fire
Report for America is a national program that touts a message of “Local Journalism as a Service.” The news organization — an initiative of The GroundTruth Project, a nonprofit media organization — places journalists in local newsrooms to report on under-covered issues and communities. Buffalo’s Fire was chosen in December 2022 to participate in Report for America’s two-year program.
After receiving several applications from Report for America corps members, Buffalo’s Fire founder, and director Jodi Rave Spotted Bear introduced readers to Adame in an April 2023 Buffalo’s Fire newsletter. Adame is enrolled with the Chippewa Cree Tribe of Rocky Boy, Montana, and she’s also Mexican American.
“We’ve waited a long time for the right moment to hire a local full-time reporter who could cover a local Native community without being impeded by press freedom issues,” said Jodi Rave Spotted Bear, the founder, and director of the Indigenous Media Freedom Alliance, the publisher of Buffalo’s Fire. The IMFA recently relocated from the Fort Berthold Reservation to Bismarck.
“Report for America offered us a slate of highly qualified corps members,” said Spotted Bear. “Adrianna rose to the top as the best-emerging reporter best suited to join our reporting team. It’s important that journalists share our passion for local, Indigenous-focused news.”
Adame’s official start date began Monday. Her Indigenous Democracy beat will focus on statewide K-12 education, Tribal College Universities, or TCUs, as well local community news in the Bismarck-Mandan area.
“I have always been interested in reporting on education,” said Adame. “Indian education is another one of those vastly underreported topics that deserves as much attention as other beats in journalism. Covering Indian education is important not just to Indian youth, but Indigenous communities as a whole.”
“We’ve waited a long time for the right moment to hire a local full-time reporter who could cover a local Native community without being impeded by press freedom issues.”
Jodi Rave Spotted Bear, Founder and Director of the Indigenous Media Freedom Alliance
Before joining Buffalo’s Fire, Adame graduated from Syracuse University’s S.I. School of Public Communication with a master’s degree in journalism and was a Newhouse Minority Fellow and intern at Syracuse.com. While in Syracuse, Adame reported on stories from underrepresented communities in Central New York, as well as subjects focused on arts and entertainment. She wrote for local and editorial sites such as POPSUGAR, the Stand, NPR Next Gen, and Flique Editorial.
During her undergraduate years, Adame served as managing and news editor for The Cougar Chronicle, California State San Marcos’ student newspaper, where she led, edited, reported, and cultivated her passion for journalism. Since her days at The Cougar Chronicle, she has been determined to work in local journalism, focusing primarily on diverse communities and reporting on issues that impact readers in the area.
With Adame’s passion for journalism and local community coverage, her pairing with Buffalo’s Fire is expected to create stronger bonds within the community while providing journalistic transparency. We welcome her move from California to North Dakota.
She said she wasn’t sure what to expect after leaving San Diego and also working in central New York for nearly two years. She quickly adjusted. “I grew to love it even more than San Diego,” she said. “When I first drove into North Dakota, it seemed vastly empty and quiet. But after this first week in Bismarck, it’s been a fun adventure, and I am excited to discover more of what this state has to offer.”
Join Buffalo’s Fire and the Indigenous Media Freedom Alliance in a big welcome to Adame. Stay up-to-date on Adame’s stories by following Buffalo’s Fire on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Also, sign up for the weekly Buffalo’s Fire Newsletter.