Nunatsiaq News is a sleazy newspaper

I am compelled to respond to your editor’s version of events and about your newspaper portrayal as unworthy. This is false, inaccurate and irresponsible reporting by your editor. Your editor is to be known biased when dealing with Inuit related issues. Nunatsiaq News in turn is a sleazy newspaper, without journalistic principles of objectivity, fairness and integrity. As such I chose to address my comments to the publisher of Nunatsiaq News on your edition of Dec. 7, regarding news coverage of ITK’s 30th anniversary celebrations in Ottawa.

I think you and your newspaper have done considerable harm to Inuit image, impute drunken party and ridiculed all of us who participated at the ITK’s 30th year anniversary celebration. Not only did you brutally, intentionally accuse Inuit of irresponsibly celebrating a worthy milestone during the short peaceful and enduring struggle to attain self determination, preservation of our culture and recognition of aboriginal rights, including our determination to participate fully through a greater political process in our regions and Canada.

What you have done to Inuit and other Canadians must not be tolerated nor accepted by any publisher of so called “free press” expressing one’s “freedom of expression” with a bias attitude of Inuit leadership and their respective organization. Your misleading article, attempted to discredit Inuit accomplishments and achievements of the largest outstanding land claims in North American and the aboriginal nations including achievement of political development during the short 30 years. To create an impression that Inuit are not worthy, to celebrate a remarkable non-violent movement was “unearned” and that we, as Inuit people, do not deserve to be recognized, acknowledged and appreciated for the contribution made by leaders today and those that have passed away during the last 30 years. You completely and totally ignored the purpose of the event.

I am not convinced that, just because you disagree with the goals and objectives, including the accomplishments and achievements, is an excuse or justification nor a predicate to discredit, by a stroke of a borderline racist misleading article. My hope is that Nunatsiaq News not be allowed to mislead, create confrontation and stoop so low intentionally.

I, for one, would like to complement and say to Canadians and Inuit as a whole that Jose Kusugak, current president, and his staff at ITK, did a great job in organizing and inviting a fairly good representation of Inuit young and old and friends of the Inuit movement to the event in Ottawa. The entertainers did a great job. Charlie Panigoniaq should know, as he was the first ever invited sole entertainer of the first AGM 29 years ago at Pangnirtung. The event was one of the most well organized.

I would like to discourage you and your editor to refrain from labeling Inuit with regard to their body condition. This was a cheap shot “pot bellied” as I may be; you and your editor have an open invitation to join me on a long country trip in Nunavut.

As for the “free booze,” if there were any free, the group at our table and I certainly did not participate in it. The only refreshments that my wife and I had were not free and these were non-alcoholic beverages. I urge you to be objective, accurate, fair and non-bias, nor personal when reporting of events Inuit people. Yes, you can be critical or policy positions of our respective Inuit organizations, but I must stress being critical and ridiculing our leadership and events is not substitution for “freedom of expression” enjoyed by your editor.

Tagak Curley
Iqaluit

Editor’s note: To the non-drinking participants of ITK’s 30th anniversary celebration who feel we unfairly suggested that they were drinking free liquor, we apologize.

As for the editorial, which argues that elected officials in Nunavut Tunngavik and other Inuit organizations have little or no political legitimacy, we make no apology. The low voter turnouts in recent elections speak for themselves. They suggest a majority of Inuit in Nunavut have lost faith in their organizations, including ITK. If ITK officials want regular core funding grants from Ottawa, it’s not unreasonable to ask them to demonstrate that they actually represent Inuit, and not just themselves.

If our sarcasm offends those who have treated this serious situation with smugness and complacency, so be it. As a responsible newspaper should, we concluded the editorial with some suggestions for electoral reform. These methods are used all over the world, and we believe our readers deserve to hear about them.