Tanasi Journal

From NativeWiki

Tanasi Journal. News. Indian Country news. From your communities, your nations, your views.

Tanasi Journal is the result of people talking through a problem to arrive at a mutual solution. In this case there was more than one problem: raising awareness of American Indian issues, finding a means of educating as many people as possible about American Indians from the perspective of American Indians, finding a way to connect and communicate with American Indians throughout the Southeast, and finding a way to get Native news out as it was being largely ignored or misinterpreted by mainstream media.

Tanasi Journal began as a print publication and the Southeast's first and only regional American Indian newspaper. The print version was forced into early retirement in November 2005 when grant funds exhausted before a sufficient advertising base that would support the project could be established.

In its new form, Tanasi Journal is a free online news publication and continues to be the only independent source of Southeastern American Indian news. The all new dynamic website designed for TJ has allowed the staff to resume monthly editions for feature articles, has added the ability to publish breaking news, and has brought with it new opportunities such as the addition of citizen journalism through a new "community reporter" program, incorporation of multimedia, a do-it-yourself classified advertising section, and the ability to deliver the "front page" and any "special editions" to the e-mail inboxes of of registered viewers. Additional new features such as syndication will be added in the near future.

At its inception, TJ was managed and operated by an editorial board and staff of volunteers that included both professional journalists and newspaper publishers, business professionals, and grassroots volunteers literally spanning the Southeastern coast to as far west as Arizona. Although many of the original staff members have moved on to other projects, the current staff and publisher are working to build a new staff following the original goal: American Indian news from an American Indian perspective, ensuring the voice of the people is heard, encouraging interest in the field of journalism among American Indians, and working to the mutual benefit of all American Indians, especially those living in or original to the Southeast.

Wisdom Keepers, Inc., a Tennessee-based 501-c-3 is the publisher of Tanasi Journal.