You Have to EARN Access: A Case Study of Arizona Tribes and Reporting about Indigenous Religion around the Pacific Rim

Abstract

Because some of the 22 American Indian tribes in Arizona define various spaces through clear laws and policies to control whether religion, culture and other private matters are accessed and reported, journalists have to ‘EARN’ access to any spaces if they want to avoid legal liability or other constraints. This applied research article outlines and explains updated legal requirements in Arizona and their practical applications for covering religion around the Pacific Rim. To ‘EARN’ access, journalists must ‘educate’ themselves about these spaces or boundaries, ‘appreciate’ why and how those spaces have been created, ‘reciprocate’ as much as possible with the tribes and ‘negotiate’ when their professional ethics conflict with tribal demands. This approach has universal application to coverage of any religion, as many people around the world expect privacy and respect for the most sacred in their lives. Journalists often are more effective with gaining access to the sacred when they build relationships before they demand rights.