Disciplinary Action taken against UKB Media Director raises concerns about press freedom

The Indigenous Journalists Association is concerned about recent actions taken against Troy Littledeer, a member of the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians and the Media Director and Editor for the UKB newspaper. They say it’s shining a light on the need for protections of tribal news outlets. 

Editor's note: This story was updated on Saturday, April 26th, to include new information about Littledeer's termination and other events that occurred on Friday, April 25th.

(OKLAHOMA) The issue of free press for tribal media outlets is in the spotlight after recent events involving United Keetoowah Band Tribal Leaders and UKB Media Director and Editor of the Giduwah Cherokee News, Troy Littledeer. 

On Friday April 25th, Littledeer told VNN Oklahoma that he was notified by UKB Human Resources that his position had been terminated. 

According to Littledeer he was not given a reason as to why. 

Earlier that day, Littledeer says he received an email from Tribal Administrator Jennifer Cole-Robinson saying that she could not approve the draft of the newspaper and that it would have to be approved by council and legal. 

The paper submitted to Cole-Robinson by Littledeer contained two stories with allegations involving Cole-Robinson. 

Friday’s events come after months of issues between Littledeer and Tribal Leadership including Cole-Robinson. 

On February 25th, Littledeer published an editorial in the Giduwah Cherokee News titled, “The Federal Governments Trust Responsibility to Native American Tribes.” The op-ed criticized the Trump administration for freezing federal grants and loans that funded programs and services in Indian Country. 

The op-ed posted on Littledeer’s LinkedIn states, “Although the Trump administration later withdrew the initial memo due to legal challenges, the damage persisted. Tribes faced delays in funding for essential services like health and infrastructure as agencies struggled to adapt to the changing directives.”

On February 27th, UKB leaders demanded that Littledeer take the editorial down. 

This action comes just months after the Department of Interior ruled that the United Keetoowah Band and the Cherokee Nation share jurisdiction of the Cherokee Reservation. 

After Littledeer took the editorial down, UKB Tribal Administrator Jennifer Cole-Robinson placed him on six months probation. He lost access to social media and website login information, which had previously been part of his job. 

Additionally, all pieces published in the Giduwa Cherokee News had to be approved by Cole-Robinson. 

“As it stands, the Tribal Administrator now controls what is published and who communicates with our citizens,” Littledeer wrote in a LinkedIn article. “That’s not the kind of media office I agreed to lead. It feels more like a state-run department than an independent newsroom.”

“What’s troubling is that the Keetoowah News section of the UKB Website has previously published other opinion pieces without issue or prior approval,” Littledeer wrote. “To my knowledge, no other author has faced disciplinary action for doing the same. That makes it appear as though my article was selectively targeted.”

VNN Oklahoma reached out to UKB Chief Jeff Wacoche, UKB Assistant Chief Amos Ketcher, and UKB Tribal Administrator Jennifer Cole Robinson as well as tribal council members for comment but did not hear back. 

On March 24th, the Indigenous Journalists Association (IJA) condemned the UKB’s actions towards Littledeer. 

“This disciplinary action taken against Littledeer has produced a chilling effect that compromises the rights of United Keetoowah Bands members,” said IJA. “It is a violation of the Keetoowah members own constitution, the Indian Civil Rights Acts, and the ethics supported by the Society of Professional Journalists and the Indigenous Journalists Association.”

Littledeer believes the discipline isn’t just about the editorial, but also about retaliation for speaking up about issues with Cole Robinson. 

Littledeer wrote, “In December 2024, I filed a grievance against Cole-Robinson over unresolved 401(k) contributions with UKB HR. Then, in April 2025, emails show she began bypassing my role as media director and instructing staff directly.”

“She has stated that the UKB Council directed the punishment, but I’ve seen no written resolution or official instruction,” Littledeer wrote in the LinkedIn article. “Under UKB policy, personnel actions of this nature require documented Council authorization. There was no public vote, and if it was discussed in executive session, the UKB Council still would have had to vote on it afterward.”

Littledeer challenged the disciplinary action taken against him on March 24th. Prior to being terminated he had asked to be taken off probation and be able to carry out his full responsibilities. 

A broader concern about press freedom in Indian Country

Other Indigenous Journalists and Editors at publications in Indian Country have expressed concern over what happened to Littledeer. 

Angel Ellis, the Editor of Mvskoke Media and Bryan Pollard, the former Editor of the Cherokee Phoenix have both experienced censorship issues in their newsrooms with tribal leadership. 

Pollard spent 10 years as Editor of the Cherokee Phoenix before being removed in 2016.

“It was my belief that it was done illegally,” said Pollard reflecting on his removal as editor of the Cherokee Phoenix. 

Hearing about what happened to Littledeer almost ten years since that time doesn’t surprise him either. 

“It’s not surprising,” Pollard told VNN Oklahoma. Troy is really just the latest instance but there have been many journalists, Native journalists across Indian Country that have experienced this,” said Pollard. “They’ve experienced it in recent years, they’ve experienced it going back decades.”

In his LinkedIn article Littledeer discussed the importance of journalism. 

“When I was hired, I made it clear to the UKB Tribal Council that I value responsible journalism,” wrote Littledeer. “I consult with colleagues when I’m unsure and strive to follow ethical standards. The Indigenous Journalists Association has supported me, and no one I’ve spoken with believes the op-ed was irresponsible or unprofessional.”

Ellis, experienced issues with press freedom when returning to Mvskoke Media in 2018. 

“Within a few months our tribe repealed its free press law and specifically stories that I was working on were being edited by Executive branch cabinet members before going out to the public and we were very concerned,” said Ellis. 

Despite the challenges she faced upon returning to Mvskoke Media, Ellis remained determined to fight for a free press for the Muscogee Nation. 

“During one of the committee meetings where these laws were being addressed one of the elected officials on the council gave me the floor to comment and I essentially became a whistleblower and told them and showed them the documented proof that the executive branch had edited my stories,” said Ellis. 

Ellis’s documentation of the fight was on full display in the documentary Bad Press that premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. 

Advocating for free press in Indian Country

Through their experiences, both Ellis and Pollard have learned that Indigenous Journalists advocating for press freedom within their tribes must be persistent. 

Following his removal as Editor, Pollard continued on the path of Journalism, earning his Master's Degree in Journalism at the University of Arkansas, working as a staff member at the Native American Journalists Association and becoming a JSK Fellow at Stanford. 

Pollard was part of the Red Press Initiative, which surveyed tribal media producers and consumers about their perceptions and interactions with news at tribal outlets. 

In 2024, his graduate thesis at the University of Arkansas titled, “A Native American Free Press: The opportunities and threats to press freedom in Indian Country”, was published. 

Pollard says he has found that while some censorship and lack of press freedom is due to malice by tribal officials, the question of resources comes into play. 

“The bigger problem is that many tribes simply don’t have the resources to have their own media,” said Pollard. “That in itself is disempowering for the people in their communities. You have to have an unfettered free press in every community in order to empower the people’s voice.”

However, few tribal nations have a free press. Tribal news outlets that have managed to achieve a level of press freedom include: The Osage News, Mvskoke Media, Cherokee Phoenix, Smoke Signals, and The Navajo Times. 

In her experience, Ellis says transparency with community members is critical when trying to get legislative or constitutional changes that offer freedom of the press protections. 

"Be as candid and open with your audience as you dare,” said Ellis. “That was a real driving force for Mvskoke Media's bid for independent press was that the citizens were so well informed of what was happening in the newsroom that they became our biggest advocates and put the most pressure on the government to adopt change.”

Ellis says since getting Press Freedom Back, Mvskoke Media has diversified its revenue streams, moved its offices out of the government buildings, and refined the policy to allow for legal council if necessary.  

“That gives us some physical protection where they couldn't just say we own this building, we're locking the doors,” said Ellis. 

As for Littledeer’s case, the Indigenous Journalists Association has asked people concerned to contact UKB Tribal Leadership. 

Littledeer says he has asked for an independent editorial board that does not consist of tribal leadership, but so far that request has been ignored, he said. 

“To protect our press freedoms, I proposed the launch of an independent platform—Giduwa Cherokee News—modeled after the Eastern Band’s Cherokee One Feather,” wrote Littledeer. “I’m also prepared to bring this issue before the UKB Supreme Court if needed.”

At this time Littledeer says his dispute with UKB leadership over the issue of free press remains unresolved. He has also set up a GoFundMe as he plans to take legal action on the matter. 

“This is not about me and my job,” Littledeer told VNN. “How can you have free press if you’re restricting the person that’s in charge of sending out all information and news. “I feel like this is a fight for constitutional rights.” 

Pollard says regardless of the media outlet tribal leaders need to understand how critical a vibrant press is. 

“Having a vibrant and rigorous tribal media operation, it actually is a catalyst for solving many of the other problems that our communities face. Because communication in its essence is the bloodstream of our communities.”