Using Archives in Investigative Reporting • Tristan Ahtone

In this masterclass, Tristan Ahtone, editor-at-large at Grist and member of the Kiowa Tribe, shares practical techniques for using historical archives and colonial documents as accountability tools in investigative reporting.

Ahtone explains why historical context is essential when reporting on Indigenous communities, land, and institutions and how to use archival evidence to expose wealth transfer and institutional profit. He walks through key strategies: identifying relevant government records and archives, connecting historical documents with contemporary data, and building sources within institutions that interact with these systems.

Credits:

• Interview: Sarah Ulrich
• Video Editing: Quentin Egloff
• Music: Lionel Marçal
• Filming: Ron Lopez, Reynald Ramirez, Hashim Hakeem
• Supervision and Coordination: Sandrine Rigaud