Underscore Native News

Mission

Underscore produces Indigenous-centered journalism that illuminates the intersections of sovereignty and justice and portrays the rich diversity of Native communities in the Pacific Northwest.

Bottom Line for Portland

Indigenous communities have historically been underrepresented — and often grossly misrepresented — in media coverage, contributing to harmful stereotyping, invisibility and erasure that persist as modern forms of racism. At Underscore, we’re building a better news model that addresses those wrongs, tackling structural inequities in media while exposing governmental and societal systemic inequities through our in-depth and investigative reporting. 

Our journalism has won 35 regional and national awards over the past two years. We’re based in Portland, which has one of the highest urban Indigenous populations in the U.S., and our reporters live and work here, regularly producing journalism that is critical to the city’s Indigenous and non-Indigenous residents alike.

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“Underscore is instrumental in building positive media relationships with Tribes and Indigenous communities of the Pacific Northwest that correct misrepresentations created by historical biases and the withholding of Native American and Alaska Native lived experiences in our U.S. education system. Please support Underscore to continue their work in support of our Tribal and Indigenous communities, and other communities of color and culture.” — Renea Perry (Tlingit/Inupiat/N.Euro), Executive Director of Portland All Nations Canoe Family
 

“I’m really happy that Underscore exists because bringing forth Native news is important and holding people accountable is important, and it doesn’t always happen. It’s important to me as a Native woman to know what’s going on.” — Cecelia Lente (Pueblo of Isleta), IDA Program Coordinator at Native American Youth and Family Center (NAYA)
 

“Underscore is an irreplaceable source of news and information about tribal communities. Other news organizations have made efforts — some well, some not so well — to do this coverage, but Underscore surpasses them in quality and relevance.” — Brian Bull (Nez Perce), longtime journalist and assistant professor of journalism at University of Oregon

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

As a BIPOC-led, Indigenous-majority organization committed to amplifying underrepresented voices in the Pacific Northwest, the values of diversity, equity and inclusion guide everything we do, from our journalism and hiring — as well as our equity-informed fellowship for early-career Indigenous journalists — to our governance and operations. 

Beyond the policy and civic implications of our work, there is fundamental human dignity involved with people seeing themselves accurately and authentically represented in the media, rather than as stereotypes or tropes. At the heart of all of this — what we do, how we do it and why we do it — is a commitment to giving Indigenous communities a prominent platform to be seen and heard in the news and public dialogue of the Pacific Northwest.

Partner(s)

We're proud to partner with Street Roots, a fellow nonprofit whose journalism values and focus on underserved communities align with ours. We will be cross-promoting each other during this campaign and raising awareness of the important work each organization does.

We also have a wide network of media partners who co-report stories with us or republish our work, ranging from metro dailies to rural and tribal outlets.