American Indian Culture and Research Journal

This article examines newspaper coverage of Indians in the Skagit Valley of northwest Washington State. Many Indian people there have expressed unease towards the local newspapers and have suggested that the papers have damaged relations between Indian and non-Indian people over a long period, but especially during a treaty-related battle over salmon fishing which led to the so called Boldt decision (U. S. D. Washington,384 F. Supp. 312,1974). Such unease is understandable: This study of local newspapers shows that the nature of contemporary reporting and the historical context of reporting are important to understanding the region's intergroup relations. A content analysis of all articles concerning local Indians in the two most significant community newspapers, the Concrete Herald and the Skagit Vulley Herald, going back to the early part of the century shows that reporting changed during and following the controversial court hearings. Specifically, the nature and volume of reporting about Indians and Indian issues changed significantly during periods of intense interethnic group competition over salmon resources. Relatedly, the volume of reporting about tribes that are not federally recognized as political units (and therefore are ineffective competitors for resources) was less than that of acknowledged tribes.