Dr Cristina L Azocar-Storytelling Sovereignty

For nearly 200 years, Indigenous journalism has been an important part of Indigenous communities; however, it has only recently gained wider recognition among non-Indigenous communities. This is a key theme in the book Storytelling Sovereignty: Indigenous Peoples and the Media. Storytelling sovereignty is about Indigenous peoples controlling their own narratives. For too long, mainstream media misrepresented these stories. An editor of the book, Dr. Cristina Azocar (Upper Mattaponi),a professor and Chair of Journalism at San Francisco State University, shared with radio program producer, Dev Kumar Sunuwar, during the 2026 Indigenous Media Conference that telling stories from within the community leads to more accurate reporting and gives Indigenous peoples a stronger voice in social and climate justice. Producer by: Dev Kumar Sunuwar (Sunuwar) Music: Kutumba Band, Nepal, used with permission.