Lakota Independence Story A Media-Encouraged Hoax! (updated)

I posted on the story a few days ago briefly, and even the local progressive group blog, Scrutiny Hooligans noted it.

Now, it turns out that the Legacy Media (Legacy: as in outdated) has been ginning the story from Indian activists who don't even speak for the leadership! From Newsbusters:

And who is the Russell Means? He is a long time Indian activist who does not officially represent any tribe, that's who. It takes the local press to make this clear. The Rapid City Journal of Rapid City, South Dakota informs us that, "Means' group is based in Porcupine on Pine Ridge Indian Reservation," and that "it is not an agency or branch of the Oglala Sioux Tribe. Means ran unsuccessfully for president of the tribe in 2006."

Yet in report after report, this Means character is presented as if he is "the Lakota Sioux" when, in truth, all he really is is A Lakota Sioux -- not a representative of all of them. He does not represent American Indians except as a tangential, activist. He has no authority to make this "declaration of Independence" for the Lakota or any other American Indian tribe.

It turns out that these reports are nearly all just a rehash of Russell Means’ press releases and not based on any real reporting at all.

And here is the worst part. The bulk of the news outlets that have picked up this story are foreign press agencies like the Agence Presse France, The Telegraph, and Radio Netherlands, all of whom presented this as if it was somehow legal and binding instead of an activist's scheming.

Source: Newsbusters, who have once again busted the legacy media.

Once I found out, I knew I had to issue a correction to the story.
Will the Legacy Media? I doubt it, unless it is in really small print on a back page somewhere.

**update 3.12pm** Captain Ed interviewed Russell Means yesterday on Blog Talk Radio. Click here to download the MP3.