Mark Trahant Explained

Mark Trahant is the editor-at-large of Indian Country Today, an Indigenous-focused news operation.

Career

Trahant is a former Charles R. Johnson Professor of Journalism at the University of North Dakota. He is a citizen of Idaho’s Shoshone-Bannock Tribe, and a former president of the Native American Journalists Association.[1] Trahant is the former editor of the editorial page for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, where he chaired the daily editorial board, directed a staff of writers, editors and a cartoonist.[2] He was chairman and chief executive officer at the Robert C. Maynard Institute for Journalism Education.[3] He is a former columnist at The Seattle Times and has been publisher of the Moscow-Pullman Daily News in Moscow, Idaho;[4] [5] executive news editor of The Salt Lake Tribune; a reporter at the Arizona Republic in Phoenix; and has worked at several tribal newspapers.[2] He was an editor in residence at the University of Idaho. Trahant was a reporter on the PBS series Frontline with a story called "The Silence," about sexual abuse by clergy in Alaska.[6] At the 2004 UNITY conference in Washington, D.C., he asked George W. Bush what the meaning of tribal sovereignty was in the 21st century; Bush replied, "Tribal sovereignty means that. It’s sovereign. You’re a ... you’re a ... you’ve been given sovereignty and you’re viewed as a sovereign entity."[7]

Books

Trahant authored The Last Great Battle of the Indian Wars in 2010.

He authored Pictures of Our Nobler Selves, a history of American Indian contributions to journalism published by The Freedom Forum in 1996.[8]

He authored a commissioned work, The Whole Salmon, published by Idaho’s Sun Valley Center for the Arts.[9]

He co-authored his most recent book, Lewis & Clark Through Indian Eyes, an anthology edited by Alvin Josephy Jr.[10]

Honors and awards

Trahant, as a co-author of a series on federal Indian policy, was a finalist for the 1988 Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting.[2] [11] Trahant’s awards and honors include Best Columnist from the Native American Journalists Association and the Society of Professional Journalists, a Ruhl Fellowship, and co-winner of the Heywood Broun Award. He was a 2009-2010 Kaiser Media Fellow.[12] [13] In 1995 Trahant was a visiting professional scholar at The Freedom Forum's First Amendment Center at Vanderbilt University. He serves as a Trustee of the Diversity Institute, an affiliate of the Freedom Forum, based in Washington, D.C. Trahant was a juror for the Pulitzer Prize in 2004 and 2005.

Personal life

Trahant lives in Phoenix, Arizona. He is married to Jaynie Parrish.

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: nativenewsnetwork.com - This website is for sale! - nativenewsnetwork Resources and Information.. 7 June 2016.
  2. Web site: P-I names Mark Trahant editorial page editor. 31 January 2003. 7 June 2016.
  3. http://mije.org/features/native-american-heritage/mark-trahant
  4. News: Trahant named Daily News publisher . Moscow-Pullman Daily News . (Idaho-Washington) . July 22, 1996 . 1A.
  5. News: Moscow-Pullman paper names new editor and publisher . Lewiston Morning Tribune . (Idaho) . July 23, 1996 . 6A.
  6. https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/the-silence/ FRONTLINE: The Silence
  7. http://www.democracynow.org/2004/8/10/bush_on_native_american_issues_tribal Bush on Native American Issues: "Tribal Sovereignty Means That. It’s Sovereign"
  8. http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6526397-pictures-of-our-nobler-selves Goodreads: Pictures of Our Nobler Selves: a History of Native American Contributions to News Media by Mark N. Trahant. Retrieved on 2015-06-12.
  9. http://artdaily.com/news/8538/The-Whole-Salmon--br--Opens-at-Nevada-Museum#.VXstlM9Viko The Whole Salmon Opens at Nevada Museum. Retrieved on 2015-06-12.
  10. http://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/88860/lewis-and-clark-through-indian-eyes-by-edited-by-alvin-m-josephy/ Random Penguin House: NINE INDIAN WRITERS ON THE LEGACY OF THE EXPEDITION. Retrieved on 2015-06-12.
  11. Web site: The Pulitzer Prizes.
  12. http://khn.org/news/091709trahant/ Kaiser Health News. Retrieved on 2015-06-12.
  13. https://centerwest.org/archives/1948 CenterWest: Mark Trahant bio