This month NITV is celebrating 10 years of being free-to-air to all Australians, a major milestone for Indigenous television and news and current affairs.
NITV is a unique platform. It’s made by, for, and about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, and the issues that matter to our communities.
There are huge rewards and fulfilment that come from telling our stories, but it take also takes a toll on Blak journalists.
We sat down with a bunch of past and current NITV presenters and reporters to hear about their experiences working in the Indigenous media space in the documentary, The Truth-Tellers: 10 years of NITV News.
Here are some of their stories.
The yarns mainstream media 'aren't touching'
Brooke Boney came to NITV News early in her career.
While she is currently focused on other areas, Boney said she admires the Blak journos who cover Indigenous news.
"I do entertainment now and you are able to step in and out of the heaviness of those stories... I really admire the fortitude and courage of the reporters who cover the stories about our mobs," she said.
Boney was a news journalist with NITV when the network switched to free-to-air in 2012. Credit: NITV
Many of those stories aren’t covered by other news outlets, as The Point presenter Narelda Jacobs pointed out.
"NITV News is so incredibly special because it's telling the stories that mainstream media just aren't touching.
"It has just given me so much pride to be a part of the NITV family when stories of national importance happen and they're the first to be there."
Spreading Blak values
This network holds an important place in the Australian media landscape and Blak journalists take that pride with them.
"I think no matter where we are, whichever network we are working for, we carry our people with us," said Stan Grant, former Point presenter and now the host of ABC's Q&A program.
"We carry a bit of that with us, of what NITV represents for us."
We're telling our people's stories.Natalie Ahmat
News anchor Natalie Ahmat echoed the feeling, saying the job comes with a deep responsibility.
"That's one of the things about working with NITV: we're not just telling any old story, we're telling our people's stories."
A weight of responsibility
Kearyn's role means he reports on stories from his own local community. Credit: NITV
For him, the stories he reports on can take their toll.
"Sometimes I can go home at night and hit my head on the pillow and have a good sleep, [but] some of the people I've talked to are living in their cars," he said.
“Sometimes when it really hits close to home and when I'm dealing with my own family members, it can be a little bit difficult.
"That does have its effect on me and it's hard to block it out."
Shahni Wellington first came to the NITV newsroom in 2014 as a work experience student, and ended up becoming an invaluable reporter on the news team.
The list goes on about trauma that can come.
Wellington said for First Nations journalists, there is an added weight of responsibility that isn’t really talked about.
“I've done crime reporting where you can go in and you can leave. You don't have the person's mother calling you late at night to see what's going on with the story,” she said.
Shahni worked as NITV's political correspondent. Credit: NITV
"But at the same time, it does take a toll on you."
Wellington said there’s a wide range of topics that can take a toll on Indigenous reporters.
"From death and sacred sites being blown up, to people trying to blow them up. I think the list goes on about trauma that can come."
"And I think talking about working in the political space, banging on the door and being like, 'Why doesn't anyone care about these issues and these policies that so negatively affect us?'
"Even that has an impact on you."
In 2019, 19-year-old Kumanjayi Walker from Yuendumu was shot dead by police officer Zachary Rolfe, and NT correspondent Guy McLean covered this year's trial of the case.
Covering this case is one of the most significant stories Guy has covered during his time at NITV. Credit: NITV
"Obviously this case created huge interest here in the Northern Territory... It’s a moment in time that must be captured,” McLean said.
"This is probably the only story that I’ve covered in my time as a reporter in... 15 years that has taken a piece of me that I won’t get back.
The need for Blak journalism
Despite these pressures, First Nations journalists do it willingly every day, and the value of having those journalists report on First Nations issues is immense.
Stan Grant said Indigenous journalists are more insistent than ever in getting answers to the pressing questions of the day.
"I see a younger generation and I see them bashing down the door and bringing those stories and their voices, and Australia, as much as it might want to look away, it can not look away," he said.
Fellow ABC reporter Nakari Thorpe said the knowledge and lessons you gain from working in the Blak newsroom are crucial to telling stories the right way.
"The biggest thing I learned from NITV, that I've taken to this job at the ABC, is how to... treat communities that we are representing. And how we tell the stories with respect," she said.
"You earn that trust... and that's the biggest respect you can get, from the Elders [and] communities.
"You see that in the stories that NITV tells and the way it's approached."
The Truth-Tellers: 10 years of NITV News premieres tonight at 7.30pm on NITV.
