Underscore on XRAY: Introduction Part II with Nika and Jarrette
Welcome to Underscore on X-RAY. This is a collaboration between X RAY and local publication Underscore Native News. Tune in every other Tuesday at 8:45 a.m.
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. Underscore aims to produce thoughtful, revelatory stories that might otherwise go unreported and unheard, focusing exclusively on Native communities and the issues that impact them.
XRAY.FM Reporter Hana Francis is joined by two Underscore Native News Reporters, Nika Bartoo-Smith ad Jarrette Werk.
Nika Bartoo-Smith is a joint reporter with Underscore Native News and ICT, an independent, nonprofit news enterprise. Nika is a journalist with a passion for working to center the voices and experiences of communities often left behind in mainstream media coverage. Of Osage and Oneida Nations descent, with Northern European and Indonesian ancestry, Nika was born and raised in Portland. Since March 2023, she previously worked as the health and social services reporter at The Columbian in Vancouver, Washington. Nika received a degree in journalism from the University of Oregon.
Check out Nika's reporting discussed in this program:
Follow Nika @nikabartoosmith
Jarrette Werk is an award winning reporter and photographer for Underscore Native News and Report for America. Originally from Montana, Jarrette is a proud member of the Aaniiih [Ah-Ah-nee] and Nakoda Tribes of the Fort Belknap Indian Community. He previously served as an associate producer for Nevada Public Radio’s (KNPR) “Native Nevada Podcast,” and he has earned a national Hearst Journalism Award and regional Edward R. Murrow Award for his journalism, along with numerous awards for his reporting and photography from the Indigenous Journalists Association, Report for America and Society of Professional Journalists.
Check out Jarrette's reporting discussed in the program:
Honoring the Lost Kids of Chemawa Indian School
Thacker Pass Extraction and Resistance Come to a Head
Follow Jarrette @jarrette_werk
In this Introductory episode Part 1 & 2, we discuss some of Nika and Jarrette's most impactful work over the last year.
To read more articles by Underscore Native News, you can go to their website, https://www.underscore.news/ or follow them on social media @underscore.news to stay up to date on all the latest reporting.