IndiJ Public Media, the nonprofit parent company of ICT, is reintroducing itself while reminding you that ICT (formerly Indian Country Today) has been sharing newsworthy stories from trusted journalists since 1981. ICT has evolved from the Lakota Times newspaper to a national magazine, a digital publication, and now a multimedia organization with a half-hour newscast.
The rebrand of IndiJ Public Media began last fall, marked by our new website URL, indijpublicmedia.org. As CEO Karen Michel, Ho-Chunk, stated, “Our focus remains on Indigenous journalism while emphasizing our expansion into broadcasting.”
Established in 2021, IndiJ Public Media partnered with ObsidianWeb to redesign the website, transforming it into a hub for all things related to IndiJ Public Media. ObsidianWeb President & CEO Rocky Tano expressed his pride in contributing to our mission, highlighting the organization’s support for Native-owned businesses.
As part of this transformation, the IndiJ Public Media logo was refreshed to honor the legacy of the late Shon Quannie, who designed the original Indian Country Today logo. The change was necessary as ICT transitioned into broadcasting, choosing a name that reflects the diverse ways Indigenous people shape language today. “As a colleague and close friend of the late Shon Quannie, undertaking this project was a way for me to pay respects and honor the legacy he left behind,” said Tano.
Aliyah Chavez, host of ICT Newscast, explained the name change during ICT’s 40th-anniversary livestream. “Our audience has reminded us that the term ‘Indian Country’ was given by non-Native people; it’s language used in broken treaties and policies imposed on our ancestors. Our new name reflects how Indigenous people want to be called, aiming to be more inclusive of the many ways Indigenous people are shaping the language of the future.”
The ICT logo was inspired by traditional ribbon skirts and the stories they tell. The colors represent key milestones in our history: blue for our roots in the Lakota Times, purple for the Oneida Nation’s acquisition in 1998, orange for our transition to the National Congress of American Indians in 2017, and red for the name change to ICT in 2021. “This is a new day for ICT, which has a long history as a premier source of news for and about Indigenous communities, written and produced by Indigenous journalists,” said Michel.
The ICT brand includes the award-winning digital news site ICTNews.org and “ICT Newscast with Aliyah Chavez,” covering the Indigenous world, including American Indians and Alaska Natives. ICT’s broadcast is carried via public television stations, including FNX: First Nations Experience, Arizona PBS World, and the World channel, and is delivered directly to our email subscribers.
You may have already encountered the IndiJ Public Media brand through our “New Look, Deeper Impact” initiative or when making a donation to support the free Indigenous news we provide to communities. Our branding video, to be released on Monday, August 26, explains who IndiJ Public Media is in relation to ICT and how ICT evolved from Tim Giago’s Lakota Times and Indian Country Today.
We invite you to be a part of our mission by taking the following actions:
- Subscribe to our email updates
- Follow IndiJ Public Media and ICT on social media, @indijpublicmedia and @indiancountrytoday
- Visit our websites, ictnews.org and indijpublicmedia.org
- Make a donation of as little as $10 today
About IndiJ Public Media
ICT is owned by IndiJ Public Media, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, with a mission to honor our ancestors and future generations through stories that bring Indigenous peoples to life. We reach audiences through our digital and broadcast platforms. Headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona, with bureaus in Alaska, Montana, Oregon, and Washington, D.C., ICT is sustained by funding from members, donors, foundations, and supporters. IndiJ Public Media also offers a variety of advertising and underwriting opportunities.
