In a remarkable turn of events, four journalists from three Alaska newspapers — Homer News, Kenai Peninsula Clarion, and Juneau Empire — resigned in unison on Monday, expressing their discontent with corporate editorial interference.
The resignations were prompted by Carpenter Media Group, the Alabama-based owner of the papers, which imposed revisions on a news story after a Republican state lawmaker’s intervention.
The journalists — Regional Editor Erin Thompson, Clarion Sports and Features Editor Jeff Helminiak, Clarion Senior Reporter Jake Dye, and Homer News Reporter Chloe Pleznac — issued a joint resignation letter, condemning the actions of Carpenter Media Group. They asserted that the forced alterations to the story severely compromised their ability to perform their duties effectively.
“Though this decision is extremely painful for us, it is not difficult,” the journalists wrote, emphasizing their commitment to journalistic integrity. “We cannot do our jobs knowing that pressure from an elected official can mean our stories are edited without prior consultation with us.”
The situation escalated after Homer Republican Rep. Sarah Vance publicly criticized the Homer News for an article covering a memorial for the late activist Charlie Kirk. Vance took issue with the article’s description of Kirk as a
image source from：alaskapublic
