Meet Darren Thompson: Buffalo’s Fire’s new staff reporter

“I loved to share what inspired people’s creations,” he says.

Then ten years ago, Thompson began filing accounts of what he was witnessing at the #NoDAPL protests at Standing Rock. The days were filled with demonstrations and clashes between security forces and Native people who opposed pipeline development on the reservation. His freelance reporting on the protests appeared in ICT, Native News Online and Yahoo! News.

Since then, Thompson’s byline has been found in Unicorn Riot, The Daily Yonder, Powwows.com, the Associated Press, Yahoo! News and ProPublica. He’s also featured in Bismarck artist Shane Balkowitsch’s award-winning photo, “Death by Oil,” which is now permanently in the collections of the Heard Museum in Phoenix, Arizona.

Among his inspirations are notable Native authors and journalists, including Vine Deloria Jr., Suzan Harjo and Buffalo’s Fire’s own founder and executive director Jodi Rave Spotted Bear.

“They all lived in different and harsher times with fewer resources and allies,” says Thompson, “and had to invest in the system to expose our triumphs and challenges in this large, pluralistic society that we are now immersed in.”

He says there are many issues in Indian Country that need more coverage, including tribal governance — something that can be difficult to report on because of the lack of press freedom.

“If a person — whether that be a tribal citizen, a journalist or a non-tribal citizen — is investigating a particular grant within the tribe, a tribe really doesn’t have to respond to that,” says Thompson, adding that sovereignty is both an asset and a hindrance. This makes tips from the tribal community essential.

“Especially if it’s about a tribe,” he says. “If I don’t have anyone willing to come on the record and I don’t have access to data, then it’s going to look like hearsay. I can’t go anywhere with it.”

Another concerning issue Thompson says is worth covering is the targeting of Native people by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. He covered Operation Metro Surge for Buffalo’s Fire and has seen reports of ICE personnel confronting Native people and challenging their tribal IDs, including “Northern Exposure” actress Elaine Miles. Before joining Buffalo’s Fire, Thompson worked as the director of media relations for the nonprofit Native advocacy group, the Sacred Defense Fund, which promotes Indigenous rights such as sovereignty and environmental protection. In that capacity, he joined Miles on her CNN interview about her encounter with ICE.

“I am giving daily thanks in recognition of Darren Thompson joining the newsroom staff,” said Spotted Bear, Buffalo’s Fire editor in chief. “We’ve had great responses from readers regarding articles he’s already written for us. I greatly appreciate the depth and nuance he brings to his reporting. He understands the big issues in Indian Country and he brings a vast network of influential sources to his new position as a full-time reporter.

“I also look forward to working with him as an editor,” said Spotted Bear. “He’s writing the types of stories that our readers crave. Plus, he has an inquisitive mind that makes him a natural storyteller who digs deep into the context and history of Native experiences.”

Besides music, art, and reporting, Thompson also knows how to barbecue. He’s friends with Dave Anderson, a Lac Courte Oreilles tribal citizen who founded the original Famous Daves BBQ chain and was the assistant secretary of the Interior for Indian Affairs from 2004 to 2005.

“I worked at his restaurants, and I actually joined him on a couple of contest competitions,” says Thompson. “I was an avid barbecue fan.”

Thompson is already working on several in-depth articles for Buffalo’s Fire, including a story on the effort to protect peyote for religious purposes.

“I see and believe that Indigenous people have many different, unique contributions to the world we live in,” says Thompson, who wants to keep sharing Native storytelling. “Not everyone can fully see those nuances.”