Bad Press: The Muskogee Creek Citizens’ Fight to Protect Freedom of the Press

Although the US constitution guarantees the right to a free press, that right does not extend to indigenous nations, who have the sovereignty to make their own laws and constitutions. The documentary Bad Press explores what happens when the Muscogee Creek Nation faces a threat to its free press. Hosts Leah Dajches and Matt Jordan talk with director Rebecca Landsberry-Baker and Angel Ellis, one of the journalists featured in the film.

About our guests

Rebecca Landsberry-Baker is an enrolled citizen of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation and the executive director of the Indigenous Journalists Association. She is a recipient of the 2018 NCAIED “Native American 40 Under 40” award and was selected to the Harvard Shorenstein News Leaders Fall 2022 cohort. Landsberry-Baker made her directorial debut with the documentary feature film, BAD PRESS, which was supported by the Sundance Institute, Ford Foundation JustFilms, NBC, and the Gotham. BAD PRESS premiered at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival and received the U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award for Freedom of Expression.

Angel Ellis is a Citizen of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation and has lived, worked, and played within the tribes' reservation boundaries most of her life. Growing up, her heroes had press passes rather than capes and inspired her to become a journalist. Ellis became Director of Mvskoke Media in 2020. In 2020 she joined the ranks of Elias Boudinot Free Press award winners, an award given by the Indigenous Journalist Association to those who defend press freedoms. In November 2022, the Local Media Association (LMA) recognized Ellis during Native American Heritage Month as one of the Indigenous people "who have positively influenced and enriched the United States." In January 2023, the film "Bad Press" premiered at Sundance. This film follow’s Ellis’s advocacy work and was selected as the Sundance Special Jury Freedom of Expression Award. She remains dedicated to serving her community as Mvskoke Media’s Director and has consulted some of the most high profile media companies in the world on best practices for Indigenous storytelling.