S. Dakota Indian Foster Care 1: Investigative Storytelling Gone Awry : NPR Ombudsman : NPR: In October 2011, NPR aired a three-part investigative series by and alleging abuses in the foster care system for Native American children in South Dakota. With a mix of statements by the reporter and much innuendo, the series unmistakably alleges that the state's Department of Social Services was systematically removing Indian children from their families in order to collect federal reimbursements. The series further alleges that cultural bias — it stops just short of saying racism — was behind the overwhelming placement of these children in white homes, in possible violation of federal law.
The series attracted national attention and won prestigious journalism awards. Some Native American advocates have since issued their supporting the reporters' findings. Activists and foster care policy leaders from each of the state's nine tribes also enlisted the United States Bureau of Indian Affairs in holding a May "summit" in response to the series.
