New initiative provides free Cherokee Phoenix newspaper subscription to tribal citizens

Informing and educating our citizens about the Cherokee Nation government is crucial to remaining vigilant in our mission to serve the Cherokee people. Open and transparent communication allows Cherokee Nation citizens their inherent right to a government they can monitor and closely follow. To fulfill this mission we have launched an exciting new project, the Citizens’ Access to Transparency initiative.

Today, the Cherokee Nation population is close to 320,000 citizens, making us the largest tribe in the United States. However, many of the addresses on file are no longer valid due to citizens moving and not updating their contact information.

Beginning this week, Cherokee Nation citizens with an updated address on file with the tribe’s registration department will receive a free, one-year subscription to the Cherokee Phoenix newspaper.  This will provide tribal citizens with even more access to our government through the news source many follow closely, the Cherokee Phoenix.  The Cherokee Nation has long been a leader in tribal government transparency, and this is one more way we are working to increase that transparency.

The Cherokee Phoenix is an independent media source whose mission is to inform and educate readers about important local, state and national issues that may affect the tribe and our citizens. It contains information on tribal programs and events, but more than that, it brings the Cherokee people news about people they know, their families and their communities. In print since 1828, the paper has a legacy of providing an unbiased perspective about the Cherokee Nation and that is what we want to share with our citizens with this free subscription. The Cherokee Phoenix is published the first of each month and will be mailed directly to each tribal household.

Maintaining a current address with the Cherokee Nation registration office will not only ensure your household receives the Cherokee Phoenix newspaper, but other important news about tribal services and programs. From time to time we will share additional tribal publications such as annual reports and Anadisgoi, an informative, quarterly magazine created by our communications department.

Additionally, as new tribal services roll out like our statewide hunting and fishing licenses, which are set to be mailed in January, an updated address helps ensure Cherokee Nation citizens receive that information on time.  

I encourage all Cherokee Nation citizens to take just a few minutes to update their addresses and ensure our registration office has correct contact information. Please visit www.cherokee.org and click on “services,” then “tribal citizenship,” then “update information” to print, fill the form out and return via mail, fax or email.

I am proud to offer this service and believe the Citizens’ Access to Transparency initiative improves our capacity to communicate more openly and transparently with our citizens.

Wado.