Newspapers were a key source for popular opinion in the nineteenth century, and The Newspaper Indian is the first in-depth look at how newspapers and newsmaking practices shaped the representation of Native Americans, a contradictory representation that carries over into our own time. John M. Coward has examined seven decades of newspaper reporting, journalism that perpetuated the many stereotypes of the American Indian. Indians were not described on their own terms but by the norms of the white, Anglo-Saxon, Protestant society that wrote and read about them. Beyond the examination of Native American representation (and, more often, misrepresentation) in the media, Coward shows how Americans turned native people into symbolic and ambiguous figures whose identities were used as a measure of American Progress. The Newspaper Indian is a fascinating look at a nation and the power of its press. It provides insight into how Native Americans have been woven with newsprint into the very fabric of American life.
Library Journal The image of American Indians in the press has been much discussed, but mainly the focus is on limited areas, such as the journalism of a particular state or a particular war or incident. Coward (communications, Univ. of Tulsa) has written a broader work exploring the depiction of Indians in the press from 1820 to 1890. He considers a mix of newspapers, urban and rural, Eastern and Western, examining their coverage of Indian affairs by showing how they treated certain incidents or issues: the removal of the Five Civilized Nations from Georgia in the 1830s, the Sand Creek Massacre in 1865, the Fetterman Fight of 1866, Sitting Bull, and the Indian sympathizer reform movement of the 1870s. Coward provides an intelligent look at the varying American perceptions of Indians in the press and provides a panorama of newspaper development, including the growing influence of the Associated Press. Recommended for American history or communications collections in larger academic libraries.--Charles V. Cowling, Drake Memorial Lib., Brockport, NY

<The> newspaper Indian Native American identity in the press, 1820-90

John M. Coward

The history of communication, Urbana [etc, 1998

History of communication, Urbana, c1999

United States, United States of America

Illustrated, PT, 1999

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Newspapers catalyzed public opinion in the nineteenth century, and the press's coverage and practices shaped the representation of Native Americans for white audiences. John M. Coward delves into the complex ways journalism both perpetuated and created the many stereotypes of the American Indian. The newspaper Indian emerged not only from centuries of stereotypes but also as an Other standing in the way of economic growth and national expansion. As economic entities hungry for profits, newspapers sought colorful and exciting stories that attracted readers and confirmed the correctness of American values and goals. Journalists came to rely on easily understood formulas and clichs to explain American Indians while the changing technology of newsgathering promoted a fact-based but narrow native identity that standardized the representations of indigenous peoples. The result was a harsh, paternalistic identity that dominated American newspapers for decadesand still influence misrepresentations of Native American people in our own time. Fascinating and thought-provoking, The Newspaper Indian shows how the press wove Native Americans into the fabric of a modernizing America.

viii, 244 pages : 24 cm
Seven essays discuss the bad press that Native American's received in newspapers during the nineteenth century and how cultural and territorial conflicts between whites and Indians were often complicated by years of mistrust and inflammatory reports
Includes bibliographical references and index
Indians, ideology, and the press -- Discovery, destiny, and savagery: imagining Indians in America -- Romance and rumor: the Indian in the antebellum press -- Explaining Indian removal -- The Daily Rocky Mountain news and the scandal of Sand Creek -- The war in words: reporting the Fetterman fight -- The making of an Indian villain: Sitting Bull in war and peace -- Indian reformers and the idealized indian -- The newspaper Indian

2024-01-26