The first issue was published on August 4, 1960, and sold for 10 cents each, and the newspaper's slogan was "Voice of Scenic Navajoland." Unlike its predecessor
Ádahooníłígíí of the 1940s, the
Times is published in
English, rarely and infrequently printing an insert or extra in
Navajo. Originally created as a monthly newsletter and mouthpiece of the tribal Council, the paper had become a weekly publication by the early 1960s. Unlike most other newspapers under the control of
Native American governments, its editorial staff increasingly asserted its right to freedom of the press, guaranteed in the
Navajo Nation's 4th Amendment to the Bill of Rights. In the late 1970s, the paper had its first confrontations with then Chairman
Peter MacDonald, who fired and re-hired its general manager several times related to the publication's editorials critical of the tribal government. During the 1980s, its editorial staff enjoyed a period of journalistic freedom. Its reporters often criticized the Navajo government in their coverage. 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." ==See also==