Print Media

Indigenous people have been portrayed in print by non indigenous people since first settlement.
In January 1952 the New South Wales Aborigines Welfare Board released the first publication of 'Dawn', a monthly journal with the aim of providing interesting information and an exchange of news and views. The publication also served as a way for people to keep in contact. It was touted as being a magazine for Aboriginal people although it was written and produced by non Aboriginal people with a racist, patronizing and paternal view on how Aboriginal people should live. Ironically today 'Dawn' magazines are a valuable source of family history and information as they include details of births, deaths, marriages and baptisms, as well as hundreds of photographs.

Over the years there have been many other publications like 'Identity', 'Abo Call', and many other state and local publications. Indigenous print media serves an essential function in providing a forum for community-generated information as well as countering a generally negative coverage in the mainstream media. Funding to this sector is largely from subscriptions and through government communication and advertising campaigns.

Our two major national publications are the:

Koori Mail released their first publication on May 23 1991, it is a fortnightly newspaper based in Lismore NSW and on Saturday May 12, 2007 they will celebrate their 400th edition with a Gala Dinner. www.koorimail.com The National Indigenous Times is a fortnightly newspaper distributed throughout the nation. It is produced by a small, independent publishing company, called Destiny Publications. NIT is owned and produced by a small dedicated group of black and white Australians. www.nit.com.au
Land Rights News is a quarterly newspaper providing news and information on a wide range of issues affecting Indigenous people in the Northern Territory. It is published jointly by the Northern and Central Land Councils and is Australia's longest running Aboriginal newspaper with a circulation of 14,000 and is distributed widely. www.clc.org.au
The Federation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Languages Corporation (FATSIL) produce a quarterly magazine 'Our Languages Are The Voice of the Land'. www.fatsil.org.au