WASHINGTON , D.C. — The Department of the Interior and the Justice Department on Thursday, September 26, 2024, convened a roundtable discussion with Tribal representatives, advocates, members of the media, and survivors to discuss how media coverage can be improved when reporting on the crisis of missing or murdered Indigenous peoples (MMIP) and human trafficking (HT).
The virtual roundtable was organized as part of the federal response to the recommendations of the Not Invisible Act Commission– a federal advisory committee established in November 2023 per the Not Invisible Act of 2019 to recommend strategies for combatting violent crime on Indian lands and against American Indian and Alaska Native people. During seven public hearings across the country as well as a two-day virtual national hearing that informed the Commission’s recommendations, survivors and families impacted by the crisis of MMIP and HT shared concerns about lack of media coverage and whether that may contribute to cases being ignored or going unsolved. The Commission in turn recommended the Interior and Justice Departments hold a roundtable discussion as a step toward developing a set of best practices.
Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland and Attorney General Merrick B. Garland delivered video remarks.
“Public communication, news stories, and social media can be crucial in finding and investigating cases of missing or murdered Indigenous persons,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “That is why, on the Not Invisible Act Commission’s recommendation, we convened this roundtable to develop best practices and guidelines to aid law enforcement, families, advocates, and journalists when a member of a Native community is reported missing. It is our hope that this convening will strengthen those partnerships, which are essential to advancing our shared goal of ending this crisis.”
