HELENA -- Native people around the country share many of the same thoughts when it comes to questioning the way the media represent indigenous people.

Here are some of the typical questions: How are issues of race handled by the mainstream media? What can Native people do to improve coverage? How can the media improve coverage of indigenous people?

With those questions in my mind, I recently agreed to be part of a joint media presentation during the Montana Conference on Race 2006, which ended Thursday.

The questions allowed me to talk about my experiences with tribal and daily newspapers. Both news venues play important roles in shaping the public view and the Native image.

Daily newspapers miss a lot of news in Native communities and they could do more by increasing the number of Natives in the newsroom. And Native people could do more by actively engaging editors and reporters through phone calls and press releases, a feat accomplished by building a solid public relations team.

While most people want to know how the mainstream press can better cover Native issues, the same questions ought to be asked about how tribal newspapers can do the same.

On one front, tribal newspapers -- either those owned by a tribe or an independent publisher -- fall in line with most newspapers. They provide a calendar of community events and feature local news stories.

But tribal newspapers typically excel at providing a platform for tribal leaders to put their best face forward. Therein lies my heartache. Tribal newspapers rarely hold tribal council leaders and department heads accountable.

It all translates into a lack of freedom for the press.

And the story rarely changes.

Tribes own the majority of tribal newspapers. That's like putting state or federal governments in charge of a media outlet. I don't know of many, or any, tribal newspapers that actively scrutinize tribal government activities.

Those stories typically are left to the daily mainstream newspapers, which then get criticized for covering only negative Native news. And it's a fair argument because many mainstream reporters fail to write stories that capture the day-to-day humanity and life stories of indigenous people.

Meanwhile, tribal communities suffer when the media isn't allowed to provide any checks or balances. Newspapers provide a platform to challenge the status quo. Without it, a climate persists where communities remain plagued perennially by high unemployment, stagnant economies, health quandaries and sometimes inadequate leadership.

When it was my turn to speak during the recent media presentation, I said I had a "soft spot in my heart" for free press issues. I immediately winced at my own words. I searched for better ones. But, again, the same words left my mouth.

In reality, I do not have a soft spot in my heart for free press issues.

My feelings are more the equivalent of what it might feel like to have a hole drilled through the middle of my heart.

Freedom of the press should be the lifeblood of tribal communities. But it is yet to be fully embraced. And this won't happen until tribal communities experience it.

As a citizen of the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation in North Dakota, I'm hoping our newly elected Tribal Chairman Marcus Wells makes good on one of his campaign promises. He made freedom of the press part of his election platform.

Change is already evident.

I've actually been receiving press releases from the new administration's public relations team. I've been slightly amazed since I haven't received a single press release in eight years under the previous tribal administration. I've been in press-release exile ever since I wrote stories that sought accountability of tribal leaders and the election process.

Finally -- after nearly a decade -- someone got over it.

It's an obstacle members of the media face on a regular basis. But, Vonnie Alberts, the MHA Nation's new public relations officer, told me in a recent e-mail the three tribes will be doing more than just highlighting the new chairman's activity. Press releases will allow all council representatives and tribal departments to share their news.

That's good.

But what happens to the news stories they don't want to share? I'm convinced a well-trained, strong tribal press corps can tell these stories fairly and accurately. And the tribal community will be the better for it.

Jodi Rave covers Native issues for Lee Enterprises. She can be reached at (800) 366-7186 or jodi.rave@lee.net.