Mohawk tribal member receives recognition from journalists

The Native American Journalists Association (NAJA) recognized Mohawk Tribal member Ray Cook for being one of the founders of the association and for his long- time support for Native American Journalism.  The recognition ceremony took place at the association’s annual conference, held this year in Albuquerque, New Mexico.  The organization was founded in 1984.

This year the association celebrated their 25th year anniversary and awarded Cook, along with 28 other Native American journalists, gifts and public acclaim for their contributions to the field of journalism.  NAJA also presents annual awards to a variety of publications and journalists in several different categories.

“It was an honor to be recognized by NAJA. We founded NAJA two years after I built Akwesasne’s first radio station and the same year we founded Indian Time newspaper, and a year before we created the Northeast Indian Quarterly at Cornell University.  It was a very important era for Indian journalism,” remarked Cook.  “It’s important for us to maintain our vision for the future and understand the direction journalism is going.  Native American journalists face special challenges in being heard in mainstream media and sometimes within our own tribes and society in general.”

The Native American Journalists Association serves and empowers Native journalists through programs and actions designed to enrich journalism and promote Native views of current events.  It encourages both mainstream and tribal media to attain the highest standards of professionalism, ethics and responsibility.  The association provides scholarship, internship opportunities and professional recognition to its members and student members.

Cook has long been active in the field of journalism and has numerous associations with Native American broadcasting and journalism organizations.  Some of these included the Indigenous Peoples Information Network, Akwesasne Freedom Radio, and the Indigenous Communications Association.  He currently produces and edits audio podcasts for Indian Country Today and 12 Indian radio stations nationwide.  Cook resides in Massena, New York.