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Native journalists cut from Obama event at UNITY
Friday, August 1, 2008
Filed Under: Politics

Native journalists who were scheduled to question Sen. Barack Obama (D-Illinois) during the UNITY conference were cut from the event at the last minute, Indian Country Today reports.

Tom Arviso Jr., the publisher of The Navajo Times, and Rhonda LeValdo, the vice president of the Native American Journalists Association, were prepared to ask Obama about Indian issues during the candidate's July 27 appearance at the conference. But Obama's campaign and CNN, which co-hosted the forum, told both of them there wasn't enough time in the event.

Instead, the Obama campaign and CNN only allowed one question from each of the four minority journalist associations that belong to UNITY. ''I just felt like our worth is more than one question,'' LeValdo, who is from Acoma Pueblo in New Mexico, told ICT.

Obama and Sen. John McCain (R-Arizona) agreed to attend the forum months ago. Obama pulled out due to an overseas trip, prompted McCain to cancel, ICT reported. Obama, however, was able to reschedule.

"The greatest irony I find in McCain's absence is that he has been complaining that he is not getting anywhere near the media attention Obama is receiving," Brian Bull, who was able to ask Obama that one question, told ICT.

Get the Story:
Native journalists scrutinize Obama (Indian Country Today 8/1)

Relevant Documents:
Transcript: Sen. Obama at UNITY | Transcript: Sen. Mcain on This Week

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Obama addresses UNITY convention in Chicago (7/28)

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