Nellie “Iriqtaq” Moore’s journalism career began when she was a teenager in Kotzebue, where she started at the local newspaper. But her drive to participate in and share her Iñupiaq culture, and to be a force in the community was evident when she organized a sit-in at Kotzebue High School to allow Native dancing.
Throughout her 44-year journalism career, Nellie worked to inform, empower, and connect others. She was an Alaska Native voice on the radio, reporting as news director and station manager. She was on the air at KOTZ from its start and at KUAC in Fairbanks and KNBA in Anchorage. She worked at the Northwest Arctic TV Center, and produced sediments for Sesame Street that highlighted Iñupiaq culture. She produced a series on the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act that still educates high school and university students on the landmark Alaska law. She and her husband started the award-winning Independent Native News radio program.
She received journalism awards for Public Service in Alaska, and nationally for her ethics in reporting on Native issues. After her death, she was honored by the Indigenous Journalists Association as the recipient of the 2024 IJA-Medill Milestone Achievement Award, which honors an individual who has made a lasting effect on media for the benefit of Indigenous communities and the general public relative to Indigenous peoples.
She used humor and keen observation skills to report the news and hold leaders accountable. Her proudest legacy in journalism, however, was her mentorship of young Alaska Native journalists. This scholarship will continue that dedication to the development of you Alaska Native journalists.
Nellie was not afraid to leave her mark on the world, which was epitomized in her traditional radio and television sign-off: “I’m Nellie Moore.”
