Pauly Denetclaw, Navajo, is coming on board to Indian Country Today as a political correspondent in Washington.
She starts on April 4 and is looking forward to gearing up for the upcoming election cycle and preparing for the 2024 presidential election. She is especially interested to see how many Indigenous people run for local and state offices compared to the 2020 election.
“I feel like now it’s a really exciting time to create this position and to more closely follow and to build upon the work that ICT has already done with following the politics and Indigenous people who are running for office,” she said.
Denetclaw said her interest in politics began in the 2008 presidential election when she was in junior high. Her parents were already interested in politics and followed the election closely. She said when her mom took her along to vote, it made her “feel seen.”
“I very much just grew up in an environment where understanding politics and keeping updated on it was really important. I kept that with me for a very long time,” she said.
She began her career in 2013 as a senior fellow for Generation Justice, a youth media organization in New Mexico, and then was a staff reporter for the Navajo Times from 2017 until 2020. She also worked at the Texas Observer as an Indigenous affairs reporter from 2020 until 2021. Denetclaw serves on the Native American Journalists Association Board of Directors.
Read Pauly’s work:
— Deb Haaland says historic first year ‘memorable’
— Biden administration brings changes to Indian Country
— Climate Change: Navajo Nation faces drought, fires, flooding
Since December, she has been working as a freelance reporter for Indian Country Today, High Country News, Native News Online and the Navajo Times.
“Pauly comes to ICT with invaluable expertise in breaking news, enterprise reporting, and investigative work, on top of her multimedia media skills needed for this role,” said ICT Editor Jourdan Bennett-Begaye, Diné. “She definitely knows the Indigenous world at a community, state, regional and national level which is paramount to building and leading our election, politics, and policy coverage.”
As a Navajo Times reporter in 2019, Denetclaw worked as a tribal media fellow with ICT, reporting for a month in Washington, where the news organization has a bureau.
“I just really love the pace of everything. I love being able to follow stories and to tell stories that are different — and finding creative ways to tell stories from the hill was a really amazing opportunity for me,” she said.
Although she continued her work for other organizations, Denetclaw set her eyes to work again for Indian Country Today. She said ICT was always on the trajectory in her career, where she knew she would be challenged and able to grow.
“I’m just really excited to be part of ICT. This is something that I always wanted to do. This is a dream that I always had, to be able to work at ICT,” Denetclaw said.
And she is looking forward to expanding to other Indigenous communities through her position because she has been focused on the Navajo community for a while. Also, it’s exciting for her to solely do political reporting because she’s only explored that in her personal life.
Some awards she has received include: the 2016 co-recipient of NAJA’s Richard LaCourse Award for Investigative Reporting, 2017 Emerging Leader Award from the Coalition to Stop Violence Against Native Women and first place in Community Breaking News and Community Social Issues Reporting for the Arizona Press Club 2019 Contest Awards.
In Denetclaw’s free time, she likes to take long walks with her dog, Lulu.
“I spend a lot of time with Lulu. She’s my favorite,” she said.
Other ICT developments
Earlier this year, Mike Kellogg, a Dine’ professional with decades of experience in managing the business side of news organizations, became the first chief operating officer of IndiJ Public Media, the parent company of Indian Country Today.
He will help develop and manage short- and long-term business strategies for IndiJ Public Media, and will collaborate on efforts to grow the company’s reach, relevance and revenue while delivering on the news organization’s mission and impact.
“Mike has a wealth of experience and skills in areas required of a chief operating officer, and we’re thrilled to have him join us, especially at this time of growth for our Indigenous-led startup company,” said Karen Michel, president/CEO of IndiJ Public Media, Ho-Chunk.
The board also gained four board members this year. They are: Jeanne Givens, Coeur d’Alene; Wayne Ducheneaux, Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe; Jessica Skye Paul, Nez Perce and Lakota; and Derrick Beetso, Navajo Nation.
They join the other three board members: ICT President Karen Lincoln Michel, Ho-Chunk; Larry EchoHawk, Pawnee; and Rhonda Le Valdo, Acoma Pueblo.
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