Date of this Version This study explores the relationship
between the American Indian Movement (AIM), national newspaper
and television media, and the Trail of Broken Treaties caravan
in November 1972 and the way media framed, or interpreted, AIM's
motivations and objectives. The intellectual and political
currents present in the 1960s, including the ideas of Vine
Deloria, Jr., and the successes of the Civil Rights Movement,
influenced the development of AIM's ideas about militant tactics
and the role media played in social movements. AIM entered the
national stage with the occupation of the Bureau of Indian
Affairs in late 1972 and used television broadcasts and print
media to disseminate their ideas for federal policy reform.
Media often missed the purpose of the Trail of Broken Treaties,
instead focusing their narrative around a different set of
political issues. Early reports of the Trail of Broken Treaties
were sparse until the occupation led to a substantial increase
in coverage, though what was conside