Rupert Murdoch's News Corp criticized for misleading bushfire coverage amplified by trolls and bots

Ellen Cranley
 

A Rural Fire Service firefighter Trevor Stewart views a flank 

of a fire on January 11, 2020 in Tumburumba, Australia. 

Sam Mooy/Getty Images

The bushfires devastating Australia are burning amid waves of disinformation spread over social media and criticism for some of the country's top news outlets over their coverage of the crisis. 

An employee at Rupert Murdoch's Australia News Corp wrote in a company-wide leaked email that the company's coverage of the fires, which have been slammed for seeming to deny climate change and protect conservative politicians, amounted to an irresponsible "misinformation campaign." 

Misleading stories and hashtags fueled by bots and trolls on social media have also spawned false claims that politically motivated arsonists are behind the fires.

The bushfires ravaging Australia have devastated 25 million acres and killed nearly one billion animals.

In addition to the physical damage across the country, authorities are also contending with widespread misinformation and false reports and claims of arson.

On Friday, emails were leaked showing a mass message from an employee of media mogul Rupert Murdoch's Australia News Corp condemning the coverage of the wildfires from the company's various outlets amounting to an irresponsible "misinformation campaign."

Emily Townsend, a commercial finance manager, wrote that she finds it "unconscionable to continue working for this company, knowing I am contributing to the spread of climate change denial and lies."

"The reporting I have witnessed in The Australian, The Daily Telegraph and Herald Sun is not only irresponsible, but dangerous and damaging to our communities and beautiful planet that needs us more than ever now to acknowledge the destruction we have caused and start doing something about it," Townsend wrote.

The leaked email was the latest in widespread concerns that Murdoch-owned outlets were under-covering or stifling stories about the extent of the fires, and diverting mention of climate change as a primary factor.

An analysis by The New York Times found that the high-powered newspapers and television stations owned by Murdoch have been instrumental in disseminating misleading claims that are in stark contrast to Australian fire authorities.

Authorities have said since November that though bush fires are expected during the country's dry season, a combination of factors like extraordinary heat, wind, and long-term climate change is exacerbating conditions. Murdoch's paper, The Australian, has repeatedly argued that this year's fires are no worse than previous years.

The Times noted that a search for "climate change" across the outlets found stories "condemning protesters who demand more aggressive action from the government; editorials arguing against 'radical climate change policy'; and opinion columns emphasizing the need for more backburning to control fires."

In addition to the massive outlets, social media chatter like a Twitter hashtag, #ArsonEmergency, surfaced in the first week of January as it was tagged in posts assigning blame the fires as being the work of dozens of criminals, despite extensive evidence to the contrary.

Queensland University of Technology researcher Timothy Graham wrote in an essay for The Conversation that he and a fellow researcher had identified about 300 Twitter accounts who were contributing to the #ArsonEmergency hashtag that originated with bot and troll accounts.

President Donald Trump's son, Donald Trump Jr., was among the conservatives who reacted to the claims. He tweeted a story from the conservative Australian that misleadingly said 180 people had been arrested on arson charges, though they were from bushfire-related charges and only 24 were charged with deliberately lighting fires.


Amid the misinformation and conspiracy theories thriving on social media, one primary concern among authorities battling the flames lie in Prime Minister Scott Morrison, who has been heavily criticized for his approach to the disaster and reluctance to acknowledge climate change.


News Corp employee quits with damning all-staff email savaging company's 'dangerous misinformation' on climate change and wildfires


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Sex workers are fundraising for Australia bushfire relief by selling nude photos online. They've raised hundreds of thousands, but not without consequences.


3 graphics reveal the unimaginable scale of Australia's fires



Australia's fires are 46% bigger than last year's Brazilian Amazon blazes. There are at least 2 months of fire season to

Australia wildfires: Carrots and sweet potatoes airdropped to wallabies in fire-ravaged region

Under a picture of a wallaby nibbling on a carrot, the minister said: “One happy customer.”

‘Operation Rock Wallaby’ helps feed animals as blazes rage in New South Wales

Zoe Tidman
Sunday 12 January 2020

Carrots and sweet potatoes have been dropped from the air to help wallabies in a fire-ravaged region in Australia.

Thousands of kilograms of food has been delivered to the animals in Operation Rock Wallaby, according to the minister for energy and environment for New South Wales.


Matt Kean shared an image of a person throwing carrots from a helicopter, explaining that the vegetable and sweet potatoes have made up most of the provisions given to the animals affected by the bushfires sweeping the region.

Under a picture of a wallaby nibbling on a carrot, the minister said: “One happy customer.”

New South Wales, whose National Parks and Wildlife Service led the efforts to feed its local brush-tailed rock wallaby population, has been one of the worst-hit regions by wildfires.

Millions of acres of land in Australia has been torched by blazes since September, endangering animals and destroying their food sources.


One billion animals are estimated to have died in Australia’s most devastating wildfire season on record, with conservationists even warning entire species could have been wiped out.

Chris Dickman, a University of Sydney professor, has estimated that 800 million animals may have been killed in New South Wales alone.

Twenty-eight people have been killed and thousands of homes have been destroyed in the blazes.

Over 100 fires burned in New South Wales on Sunday.

Scott Morrison, the Australian prime minister, said in a weekend interview that he could have interacted with members of the public affected by fires better, after a spate of tense encounters saw people heckling the PM and refusing the shake his hand.

He has faced criticism for his handing of the crisis, such as holidaying in Hawaii while fires raged and defending Australia’s coal industry in the wake of criticism over the government’s climate change policies. .

Additional reporting by Reuters

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IRAN PROTEST UPDATES

Iran deploys riot police as backlash against government grows

Protests across country as media outlets join outcry at shooting down of Ukrainian jet


Michael Safi @safimichael The Guardian, Sun 12 Jan 2020

Iranians students protest on Saturday following a tribute for the victims of the Ukraine International Airlines aeroplane mistakenly shot down. Photograph: Rouzbeh Fouladi/Zuma/Rex

Riot police have been deployed in parts of Tehran after tear gas was used to clear the streets of protesters angry at the government’s admission it had mistakenly shot down a passenger jet killing all 176 people on board.

Images of dozens of demonstrators taking to the streets in the capital and other cities including Isfahan were circulating on social media as activists called for mass mourning rallies, raising the possibility of fresh clashes between protesters and security forces.

Pro-regime protesters also gathered outside the UK embassy calling for its closure after the British ambassador to Iran was briefly detained on Saturday evening after leaving the site of a demonstration.

Several Iranian media outlets on Sunday joined a chorus of domestic and international criticism at both the shooting down of the airliner on Wednesday morning and the subsequent days of official denials that an Iranian missile was responsible.

Footage from the Iranian capital showed police in riot gear and on motorcycles massed in public squares and lining the entrances to the University of Tehran, one of the sites where hundreds turned out for protests on Saturday night chanting for prosecutions and a referendum on the country’s theocratic system.

A clip purportedly shot on Sunday morning at Allameh Tabataba’i University in Tehran showed a small group of students chanting slogans against the country’s state-run media outlets. Its authenticity could not be immediately verified.

“They are lying that our enemy is America, our enemy is right here,” said protesters outside a university in Tehran in another clip cited by Reuters. Mourning events were held at several universities across the city.

Play Video Anti-government protests in Tehran after Iran admits it shot down Ukrainian jet – video

Student protests are not unusual in Iran but these latest come at a period of extraordinary tumult for the Islamic Republic, with an economy suffocated by US sanctions, the largest protests in the regime’s history put down by violent force in November, and the revelation that the country’s armed forces shot down a jet loaded with Iranian citizens – then lied about it.

The rage at the incident appears to have wiped away the nationalist wave the regime was attempting to ride after the killing of General Qassem Suleimani by a US drone strike nine days ago, and the catharsis it sought to deliver with a heavily publicised ballistic missile attack on US forces stationed in Iraq.

Iran’s foreign ministry on Sunday summoned the UK ambassador to Tehran, Rob Macaire, to explain what he was doing near the site of a protest when he was arrested the previous evening.

Macaire, who was released shortly after Iranian diplomatic officials learned of his arrest, tweeted that he had attended what was advertised as a vigil, left as it began to turn into a protest and was detained half-an-hour later. The Tasnim news agency, which is linked to Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, reported on Sunday that Macaire had been using a shop near the protests as a place of “coordination”.

The British foreign secretary, Dominic Raab, condemned the ambassador’s arrest as a “flagrant violation of international law” and said Iran was marching towards “pariah status”.

In a series of tweets in English and Farsi, the US president Donald Trump said he was monitoring demonstrations in the country and voiced his support – sentiments that analysts have said are unlikely to win the protesters favours.

“To the brave, long-suffering people of Iran: I’ve stood with you since the beginning of my Presidency, and my Administration will continue to stand with you,” he tweeted. “There can not be another massacre of peaceful protesters, nor an internet shutdown. The world is watching.”

After days of denials, Iranian officials on Saturday morning admitted to shooting down the Ukrain International Airlines jet, a few hours after firing missiles at US forces stationed in Iraq and while the country’s air defences were on high alert for reprisals.


“The Islamic Republic of Iran deeply regrets this disastrous mistake. My thoughts and prayers go to all the mourning families,” Iranian president Hassan Rouhani said.

After the missile operation in Iraq, US military flights around Iranian borders increased and Iranian military officials reported seeing aerial targets coming toward strategic centres, a statement by Iranian armed forces headquarters said.

“The aircraft came close to a sensitive IRGC [Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps] military centre at an altitude and flight condition that resembled hostile targeting,” the statement said. “Under these circumstances, the aircraft was unintentionally hit, which unfortunately resulted in the death of many Iranian and foreign nationals.”

The victims include 82 Iranians, 63 Canadians, 11 Ukrainians, 10 Swedes, four Afghans, three Germans and three British nationals.

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‘Apologise and resign’: Teargas fired as anti-government protests grip Iran after plane crash cover-up

Officials will fear resurgence of widespread unrest that rocked country in months before Soleimani’s killing

Andy Gregory

Pressure continues to pile on the Iranian regime as furious anti-government protesters take to the streets for a second day and newspapers join the calls for justice over the military’s “unintentional” shooting down of a Ukrainian passenger jet.

Thousands of protesters braved the threat of violent repression or incarceration amid a heavy riot police presence in several cities, many demanding the resignation of president Hassan Rouhani and criticising Ayatollah Ali Khamenei with chants of “death to the dictator” – an offence reportedly punishable by execution.

In Tehran, vast crowds overcame authorities’ efforts to block off Azadi (Freedom) Square. Security forces later resorted to tear gassing those assembled there. Some violence broke out in the square as special forces and militia members attacked protesters and fired rubber bullets, witnesses told the New York Times’ Farnaz Fassihi.

Their fury was further amplified on Sunday as Iran’s moderate daily newspaper Etemad ran a headline saying those responsible for the plane crash – which killed 176 people – and the subsequent cover-up, should “apologise and resign”. The paper called this “the people’s demand”.

The tragic incident, and the regime’s handling of it, appears to have subdued the outpouring of national unity which followed the Trump-ordered assassination of top general Qassem Soleimani.

Iran plane crash: Tehran admits accidentally shooting Boeing 737
Show all 25





In contrast to the anti-US sentiment displayed during Soleimani’s vast memorial proceedings, social media footage showed protesters taking pains not to step on American and Israeli flags painted on a walkway, with others chanting: “Our enemy is right here, they are lying that it’s America.”

Iranian officials will fear a resurgence of the widespread protests that raged in the months before Soleimani’s killing, thought to be the largest since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Sparked by opposition to a fuel price hike amid dangerously punitive US sanctions, the protests grew into a major revolt against corruption, poverty and the regime’s incorrigible nature.

The government’s brutal attempts at repression are believed to have taken the lives of between 300 and 1,500 people, but an internet shutdown obscured much about the protests, including their death toll.
Watch more

British ambassador to Iran speaks out after being detained in Tehran

Iran has no choice but to de-escalate its campaign of revenge – now
Shame on you’: Iranians and world leaders react to Tehran’s admission

On Sunday morning, despite only numbering in their hundreds, dissidents gathered at university campuses in several cities, including Isfahan, while calls circulated for larger protests later in the day.

In addition to black-suited riot police, Revolutionary Guard members patrolled the capital on motorbikes in an apparent effort to deter the sizeable protests that would eventually emerge, while plain-clothes security forces also monitored the streets.

The demonstrators’ efforts and bravery were lauded by Donald Trump, who launched a brazen attempt to paint himself as an ally of the Iranian people – and further undermine the country’s leadership – days after pushing the country to the brink of conflict and threatening to commit war crimes by destroying Iranian cultural sites.

“I’ve stood with you since the beginning of my presidency, and my administration will continue to stand with you. We are following your protests closely, and are inspired by your courage,” Mr Trump tweeted in Farsi.

“The government of Iran must allow human rights groups to monitor and report facts from the ground on the ongoing protests by the Iranian people. There can not be another massacre of peaceful protesters, nor an internet shutdown. The world is watching.”

While his call for human rights to be observed were welcomed, the US president was also accused of gross hypocrisy.

“Only on planet Trump can you ban Iranians from visiting their family in the US, deny them access to life-saving drugs, threaten to bomb their cultural heritage, and then claim that you are in solidarity with them,” said London School of Economics’ Rohan Alvandi, an associate professor of international history specialising in Iran.

Trump’s defence secretary Mark Esper admits he ‘didn’t see’ evidence of imminent threat from Iran

Meanwhile, the leader of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, Hossein Salami, apologised profusely for his forces shooting down Ukraine International Airlines flight 752, saying: “I have never been so ashamed in my life.

“I would have liked to have been in that plane and to have crashed and burned with them rather than bear witness to this tragic event.”

The country’s supreme leader blamed the region’s turbulence on the US, and urged greater cooperation between Middle Eastern nations as “the only way to deal with it”.

“The reason for the current turbulent situation in our region is the corruptive presence of the US and its cohorts,” Mr Khamenei told Qatar’s visiting ruler, Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani. “The only way to confront this is to depend on cooperation within the region.”

It came hours after US defence secretary Mark Esper admitted he “didn’t see” the evidence of imminent threats to four US embassies claimed by Mr Trump as justification for killing Soleimani.

European leaders sustained their efforts to contain the fallout from Soleimani's killing on Sunday, with Boris Johnson, France's Emmanuel Macron and Germany's Angela Merkel issuing a joint statement urging Iran to return to full compliance with the 2015 nuclear deal.

However, the protests in Tehran also inadvertently saw UK-Iranian relations take a sour turn, after the British ambassador Rob Macaire was briefly arrested at the protests on Saturday, which began as a vigil.

The UK said its envoy was detained “without grounds or explanation” and in “flagrant violation of international law”.

Condemning the arrest, foreign secretary Dominic Raab said Iran “can continue its march towards pariah status ... or take steps to de-escalate tensions and engage in a diplomatic path forwards”.

Iran’s deputy foreign minister Abbas Araghchi later tweeted that Mr Macaire was arrested “as an unknown foreigner in an illegal gathering” and was released when authorities realised who he was.

A member of Iran’s parliamentary committee on national security and foreign policy, Alaeddin Boroujerdi, accused the ambassador of organising protests and called for his expulsion.

A small group of Iranians later gathered outside the British Embassy, chanting “death to England” and calling for the ambassador’s expulsion and the embassy’s closure. Police stood guard outside the facility.

Iranian media, meanwhile, focused on the regime’s admission of responsibility for the crash, with several newspapers calling for those responsible to apologise and resign.

The hardline daily Vatan-e Emrooz bore the front-page headline ”A sky full of sadness”, while the Hamshahri daily went with “Shame”, and the Iran daily said “Unforgivable.”

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WHY AUSTRALIAN BUSHFIRES ARE SUCH BIG NEWS INFOGRAPHICS

At an exclusive Manhattan sex party, members can smoke weed, eat Haribo gummies, and have sex until 3 a.m.

IT'S REALLY ALL ABOUT SMOKING WEED AND BEING NAKED WITH STRANGERS

Julia Naftulin Jan 8, 2020

NSFW members can find everything they need for a safe and fun sex-party experience at the club when they arrive. Crystal Cox/Business Insider

On any given Friday and Saturday night, 60 or so New Yorkers descend upon NSFW, a members-only sex club in Manhattan.
Consensual sexual experiences are the club's hallmark, but some people who attend NSFW's weekend "play parties" may not even have sex. They may mingle, smoke weed, or sip a cocktail.
During play parties, members called "nymphs" keep the space clean and make sure everyone feels safe.
Snacks, drinks, and condoms are provided for party attendees, and each party has live performances and a curated playlist.
On any given Friday and Saturday night, 60 or so New Yorkers descend upon NSFW, a members-only sex club located in lower Manhattan's SoHo neighborhood.

NSFW's clubhouse doesn't look like much from the outside, since it's nestled in an average-looking apartment building and up a long and steep stairwell.

But once through the nondescript apartment door, members see the large studio has been transformed with dim lighting, lounge areas decorated with pillows and string lights, electronic DJ mixes, clouds of marijuana smoke, and warm faces.

At NSFW, which stands for the New Society for Wellness, members pride themselves on being part of an LGBT-friendly sex club that offers a safe space for people to explore self-pleasure regardless of income. Consensual sexual experiences are the club's hallmark, but some people who attend NSFW's weekend play parties may not even have sex.

Here's what it's like to attend an exclusive play party at NSFW, according to its founder, Daniel Saynt; a member; and Insider's on-the-ground experience.

NSFW's clubhouse (not pictured) is in New York's SoHo neighborhood. Aimee Groth, Business Insider
People nicknamed 'nymphs' keep the party safe and clean

NSFW has 2,000 members, and memberships range from $200 to $2,690 for an annual membership. The more you pay, the more perks you get, including discounted or free tickets to NSFW workshops on topics like improving your relationship or tantra basics.

To become a member, everyone goes through an application process, including an online form, social-media vetting, and sometimes a phone or video interview to ensure they'll mesh well with the entire group, Saynt previously told Insider.

Saynt said his team always asked prospective members what they could contribute to NSFW. "Some people say, 'Oh, positive energy,' and other people, it's like, 'I'm a lawyer, so I can help with this.'" Both are great answers, he said.

About 20% of applicants are accepted.

Members are free to attend any NSFW party or workshop and can also be considered for other designations, like "nymph."

Nymphs, along with a clubhouse manager, play an important role at all NSFW play parties because they stay out of the action and hang out on the outskirts of the clubhouse.

Saynt says for every party, three nymphs walk the floor wearing glow-in-the-dark wristbands to signal their role and to make it easier for members to locate and approach them if they're feeling unsafe, have a question, or need assistance.

Nymphs also spend time getting other members water to keep them hydrated if they've smoked too much weed or had too much to drink, Jen, a 35-year-old member who acts as a nymph and asked to omit her last name for privacy reasons, previously told Insider.
Music and lighting are used as cues throughout the evening

Like any party, play parties at NSFW have a natural cadence.

According to Saynt, parties start between 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. depending on the type. Some nights, NSFW hosts parties that start and end on the early end called "Send Noobs," which are geared toward new members who may have never been to sex parties before.

"The focus is on introductions and teaching people about the behavior that's expected at NSFW," Saynt said. Parties for more experienced members start closer to 10 p.m., with the action really picking up at about midnight.

The parties typically kick off with live performances like erotic shows or BDSM demonstrations starring local talents like Marie Sauvage, a shibari or Japanese-style bondage artist, and King Noire, a rapper and adult-film actor. Other nights, members can see top adult-film actors like Christiana Cinn, Abella Danger, or Skye Blue perform.

"The idea is to create an experience, to entice, surprise, and titillate," Saynt said.
Like any party, play parties at NSFW have a natural cadence. mediaphotos/Getty Images

At about midnight, NSFW lights dim to signal it's playtime.


A floor-to-ceiling velvet curtain is also drawn to split the room and offer semiprivacy to members who want to get busy. The back section of the open-concept clubhouse has California-king-size mattresses pushed together, plush heaps of pillows, and large vintage couches scattered throughout where people can get together.

Members can approach one another and ask for sex, which must be met with enthusiastic consent, meaning all people should say "yes" to the experience and also feel positive about it throughout.

People who aren't partaking in sex play can spend time on the other side of the velvet curtain smoking marijuana joints or sipping cocktails while chatting with other members.

Then, 30 minutes before closing at 3 a.m., Saynt said, the lights would start to brighter again so people could more easily retrieve any discarded articles of clothing. Music by Frank Sinatra plays for the last 15 minutes of the party too. "We want people to think of us whenever they hear these popular songs" out in the world, Saynt said.

According to NSFW's founder, Daniel Saynt, decriminalization has made it easier and safer for the club to allow its users to light up. AP Photo/Richard Vogel
You can smoke weed during the sex party

According to Saynt, decriminalization has made it easier and safer for the club to allow its users to light up during play parties.

Marijuana is decriminalized in New York state, meaning it's considered a noncriminal violation of the law, rather than a criminal offense, if the police catch a person carrying less than 2 ounces of marijuana.

As a rule, NSFW doesn't directly sell weed to its members, and since the club is exclusive and relatively private, it's not "at risk for the same legal issues that a traditional nightclub might deal with," Saynt said, acknowledging that NSFW once got in trouble with the police for cannabis use.
Amenities include fresh fruit, gummy bears, lube, and condoms

Though the NSFW team doesn't ask prospective members about their STD statuses during the application process (Saynt said doing so wasn't allowed both ethically and legally), the club is stocked with complimentary condoms and lube as well as wipes for cleaning up after the fun.

Saynt said NSFW also partnered with the STD-testing app Safe to give members access to low-cost STD tests.

NSFW also keeps the clubhouse stocked with snacks, including Haribo gummies, dark-chocolate bark, and fresh fruit bought in bulk, as well as some cocktails. Saynt said the club also had plenty of soda and water available to members at designated "hydration stations."

Also, NSFW provides mints that Saynt said were "great for oral sex and helpful if members experiencing dry mouth due to smoking cannabis."

According to Saynt, it's taken five years of trial and error to craft the perfect experience.

"Nights at NSFW are like an orchestra with various triggers used to ensure people are comfortable, mingling, and remembering the experience," Saynt said. "That requires a lot of knowledge that can only come from hosting over 500 sex parties over the past five years and being really, really good at getting strangers to get naked together."

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8 of the biggest misconceptions people have about Native Americans  (AMERICAN)

Joey Clift

Jan 9, 2020, 10:48 

• As one of the few Native American people in the entertainment industry, I'm used to being asked bizarre questions about my culture.
• Many people seem to think that all Natives live in teepees and look like caricatures from the 1700s.
• Here are some of the weirdest and wildest misconceptions people have about being Native American today.

As one of the very few Native American people working in the entertainment industry, I'm used to being asked bizarre questions about my culture and upbringing. 

Growing up on the Tulalip Indian Reservation in Washington state, I was ill-prepared for how little your average person knows about Native issues. 

For context, according to a recent study by the Native run nonprofit IllumiNatives, 87% of United States schools don't cover Native American history beyond 1900. And that fact isn't more apparent than when a grown adult — who went to college and should really know better — asks me if I was born in a teepee.

To head some of these questions off at the pass, I'm here to clear up some of the weirdest and wildest misconceptions people have about being Native American in the 21st century.

We weren't all born In teepees.

Artur Widak/NurPhoto via Getty Images

You'd think I wouldn't need to tell people that an entire race of people wasn't born in teepees or doesn't currently live in them. But if the multiple times I've been asked if I was born in a teepee is any indication, it's very important that I address this question first.

Teepees were mainly used by tribes located in the Great Plains region of the United States, as well as in the Canadian Prairies. As members of the Cowlitz Indian Tribe, based in and around southern Washington state, my people most likely didn't live in teepees. We traditionally lived in longhouses, which are large homes made out of cedar and shared by half a dozen to a dozen families.

So the real question is, "was I born in a longhouse?"

The answer to that question is no. It's 2020. I was born in a hospital in a big city, like you probably were. Why would you ask me such a weird question?

We don't all look like a caricature from the 1700s.

People participating in the Lakota Language Weekend, a crash course on Lakota language and culture, at the University of Denver in 2018. 

Hyoung Chang/The Denver Post via Getty Images

As a lighter-skinned Native with short hair, I'm regularly asked by non-Natives if I'm "really Native."

You know when I wasn't asked this question? When I had long hair.

Natives are often forced into a small cultural box by non-Natives, which severely limits how we're allowed to present ourselves to claim our Nativeness. Women have to look like Disney's Pocahontas, who, if you aren't already aware, is a literal cartoon character. Men have to look like the crying Indian from those old anti-littering PSAs, who, by the way, was played by an Italian guy.

Native film and television actors often lose acting roles for not fitting into this stereotype, and many are literally painted on set to make their skin appear more "red" for the camera.

Are there Natives out there who have long hair and wear traditional buckskin? Sure. But there are Natives with hair of all lengths and colors and skin in any tone imaginable. Just because someone doesn't look like an extra from an old John Wayne movie, with flute music playing every time they talk, a stoic expression always stuck to their face, and a best friend who is a literal eagle, that doesn't make them more or less Native.

Note: I reserve the right to change my answer to this question if and when I become best friends with an eagle

We're not all the same tribe.

AP/John Locher

I am an enrolled member of the Cowlitz Indian Tribe. This is not to be confused with the Cherokee Nation, the Nez Perce tribe, or the Lakota tribe. In total, there are 570-plus federally recognized tribes in the United States, hundreds more at the state level, and a ton more that are not federally recognized.

Tribes have their own cultures, languages, aboriginal lands, traditional outfits, and everything in between. The cultural differences from one tribe to another could be as big as the cultural differences between the United Kingdom and Egypt.

To assume that all Natives wore loincloths or buckskin, or hunted buffalo, or whatever your elementary school teacher told you about Native American people while you made a construction-paper headdress the week before Thanksgiving is probably wrong, and in the case of the headdress, more than a little racist

There's no such thing as being 18% Cherokee.

Sven Hoppe/picture alliance via Getty Images

I refer to myself as "enrolled Cowlitz." That means that I am "on the books" with the Cowlitz Indian Tribe — I have a tribal ID card and an enrollment number. My tribe's office can track my lineage back to which original Cowlitz family I belong to. I have a biological tie to being Cowlitz, but I also am an enrolled member of my tribe in the same way that you are a citizen of a state or country.

Tribes are, quite literally, "domestic dependent nations" operating within the US. The tribe is the only group that controls the requirements for enrollment in that tribe, and every tribe has different rules when it comes to enrollment.

Some tribes require for enrollment a certain "blood quantum," which is a controversial measure of how Native American you are based on how far removed you are from your "full-blooded" ancestors. Blood quantum laws are problematic for a whole slew of reasons I won't get into here, and contribute to a belief that the US government views Natives as less than human. (The only beings the government measures in blood quantum are "dogs, horses, and Indians.")

Much like becoming a citizen of a country or the resident of a state, once you're a member of a tribe, you are effectively 100% a member of that tribe. To say that you're ".05% Cherokee" because a DNA test told you so is the equivalent of telling someone from Texas that you're ".05% Texan," which would be ridiculous.

Some Natives love the term 'Native American,' while others hate it, and that's OK.

Erik McGregor/LightRocket via Getty Images

Between "Indian," "Native American," and "First Nations," there are a lot of catch-all terms that are used to describe North America's indigenous residents. I'm often asked, "which one is the right one?" 

The honest answer to this question is that it depends. Each of the catch-all terms is going to have fans and detractors.

The way I've grown to understand it is that "Indian" or "American Indian" is an official term. The US government branch that primarily interacts with tribes is called "The Bureau of Indian Affairs." My tribal ID card says "Cowlitz Indian Tribe" in big letters at the top. I don't hear "Indian" said a ton by my Native friends with the general feeling being that "Indians are from India," though sometimes we'll refer to ourselves as Indians, abbreviated to "NDNs" in email chains and text threads because it feels cool.

"Native American" is the term that I use the most in casual conversation, with it often being shortened to just "Native" out of convenience and for cool points. With that in mind, many Natives find the term "Native American" offensive because associating us with "America" feels like rubbing salt in a wound, which, boy, do I get!

"First Nations" is the Canadian term for folks indigenous to Canada. Sometimes people indigenous to the United States will use the term, but it's officially in reference to our friends north of the border.

"Indigenous" is the most "woke" term to use and it works as a great catch-all to describe any groups originally native to a particular location.

If you want to make everyone happy, your best bet is to refer to people by their tribal affiliation. I'm not "Indian," I'm "Cowlitz," for example. That said, I understand that memorizing nearly a thousand tribal affiliations might be a lot to ask when your mind's already full of fun facts about your favorite "Bachelor" contestants. (Did you know that season 23's Colton Underwood used to play football? So interesting!) 

And finally, if you want to make me happy, refer to me as Joey Clift. That's my name.

Non-Natives shouldn't call things their 'spirit animal.'

Antonio Perez/ Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images

This is less a question and more an observation. I often see people on the internet refer to everything from John Cena to Philadelphia Flyers mascot Gritty as their "spirit animal." 

I get it, you like John Cena. I like John Cena too. But for my tribe at least, the process to receive a spirit animal is a hard, personal journey, not unlike receiving a military honor or a Catholic patron sainthood. Don't you think it cheapens a very important cultural achievement for a very marginalized group of people just a little bit when everybody calls everything their "spirit animal?"

If you really need to say that you like or relate to John Cena or Chester Cheetah or any other fictional or non-fictional character, maybe just call them your Patronus instead? A Patronus is from the "Harry Potter" series, and the only person you might offend by using that term is Voldemort.

No one can speak for all Natives — myself included.

David McNew/Getty Images

As I mentioned previously, Native people come in all shapes, sizes, and skin colors, and we're from so many different tribes and cultures that it's impossible for one person to speak for all of us, myself included.

I recently worked in a writers' room with a bunch of super funny Native American comedians, and even within our small room of a half dozen people, our opinions differed on a lot of things. If a room of Native American comedy writers can't speak on all topics with one voice, what makes you think 

 As I mentioned previously, Native people come in all shapes, sizes, and skin colors, and we're from so many different tribes and cultures that it's impossible for one person to speak for all of us, myself included.

I recently worked in a writers' room with a bunch of super funny Native American comedians, and even within our small room of a half dozen people, our opinions differed on a lot of things. If a room of Native American comedy writers can't speak on all topics with one voice, what makes you think your friend who just got a DNA test that says he's "5% Cherokee" is a good barometer for how all Natives feel about Native American sports mascots, or "Indian princess" Halloween costumes, or wearing a headdress to Coachella, or a million other highly sensitive issues?

(I'm just going to answer that for you. Your friend with the DNA test or your other friend with a mysterious, potentially made-up Cherokee Chief great-great-grandfather who they don't know anything about can't speak for all Natives, either.)

We're still here and we're doing a lot of really awesome stuff.

US Representatives Sharice Davids (L) and Deb Haaland became the first Native American women elected to Congress in 2018. 

Alastair Pike/AFP via Getty Images

Outside of racist sports mascots and plays about Thanksgiving, Native people are very rarely shown in the media, and almost never in a contemporary light. 

Our representation in the media is so lacking in the modern day that we're often called an "invisible" minority. Because of that, a question I often receive from grown adults is, "aren't you guys extinct?"

First off, ouch. Second, no! We're still here. There are around 6 million Native American people currently listed on the US Census, which is similar in size to the Jewish-American population and the Chinese-American population. So we're not exactly "rare" either.

Also, we're doing some amazing stuff! Aaron Yazzie is a genius Navajo mechanical engineer. He's currently working for NASA and he's building drill bits for the 2020 Mars Rover. Rebecca Roanhorse is a stellar Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo author who wrote "Resistance Reborn," an official, canon novel in the "Star Wars" universe. Laguna Pueblo politician Deb Haaland and Ho-Chunk politician Sharice Davids became the first two Native American women elected to US Congress in 2018. Nyla Rose is a tough-as-nails Oneida First Nations professional wrestler signed with All Elite Wrestling. John Herrington is an inspiring Chickasaw Nation astronaut and the first-ever Native American in space.

These are just a few of the many, many very awesome contemporary examples of Natives not just existing, but flourishing in the 21st century. Not only do we still exist, we're killing it.  

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