page_title: Navajo Times
section_title: Shutdown
hierarchical_section_title: Navajo Times / History / Shutdown
caption_attribution_description: English: Navajo Times headquarters in Window Rock, Arizona.
context_page_description: The Navajo Times – known during the early 1980s as Navajo Times Today – is a newspaper created by the Navajo Tribal Council in 1959; in 1982 it was the first daily newspaper owned and published by a Native American Indian Nation. Now financially independent, it is published in English; its headquarters is located in Window Rock, Arizona.
  Over the past half century, its editorial staff has continually faced challenges for editorial control from political leaders and opponents. In 1987 the tribal government shut down the publication and fired its entire staff. Under the leadership of Tom Arviso, Jr. as editor since 1988, and publisher since 1993, the newspaper has worked to maintain and promote freedom of the press.
  In 2004 the newspaper established financial independence from the tribal council. It is published by the Navajo Times Publishing Company; Arviso is CEO. The newspaper is exploring the use of more Navajo language in its publications, including online. The current editor-in-chief is Duane A. Beyal.
context_section_description: After the 1987 election, the paper – still funded by the Navajo Nation government – was shut down by the chairman Peter MacDonald.  The editorial board of the paper had endorsed MacDonald's opponent, Peterson Zah, during the campaign and continued to criticize the government in its editorials. The MacDonald administration laid off the entire staff. MacDonald claimed the shutdown was due to the paper's losing money and being financially unstable.  When the government resumed publication of the newspaper four months later, the Navajo Times returned as a weekly.
  Under the leadership of Tom Arviso, Jr., who became editor in 1988, the paper in 2004 achieved financial independence of the tribal government. In 1993 Arviso became publisher, and is now the CEO of the Navajo Times Publishing Company. Arviso has been recognized for his contributions to journalism:
  1997, he was awarded the Native American Journalists Association (NAJA)'s Wassaja Award for "extraordinary service to Native journalism." 
  1998, Freedom of Information Award by the Arizona Newspapers Association
  2000-2001, the first and so far only full-blood Native American to win a John S. Knight Fellowship at Stanford University
  2009, he received the John Peter and Anna Catherine Zenger Award, given jointly by The University of Arizona School of Journalism and the Arizona Newspapers Foundation, for his promotion of freedom of the press at the Navajo Times and other Native American newspapers.
caption: Navajo Times headquarters in Window Rock, Arizona.
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