Saturday Alaska Progressive Blog Roundup - August 1, 2009 -- Taking on the ADN - Part II

I. As regular readers of Progressive Alaska know, although PA has praised the work of writers at the Anchorage Daily News scores of times over the past 21 months, I've found few opportunities to be so positive about the people on the bridge of the faulty flagship operation of Alaska journalism. This past week's ADN editorial spaces brought another two episodes to the saga.

On Wednesday, July 29th, the ADN published an unsigned Our View post, called Substance over Politics, in which the editor purported that Gov. Sean Parnell will "[take] a more objective approach to hiring" high-level state employees than had his predecessor, Sarah Palin. The editor went on to use a single statement by Parnell, "I'm not requiring anybody to meet a litmus test for service in state government," to craft an essay giving him performance credit, yet offering no evidence whatsoever to back the governor's bold claim.

Even more troubling was the editor's offering up of a picture and mention of recently fired public health director, Bev Wooley, to back up Parnell's untried claim. The editorial finally dishonestly claimed:

BOTTOM LINE: You don't have to be a total "yes" woman to work in the Parnell administration.

The following day (Friday), again, the Our View post dishonestly dealt with Palin debris, this time the departure of former boards & commissions director, Frank Bailey from state government. The editorial skirted around giving Bailey's history in "Troopergate." Although the ADN editors have been critical of Bailey's role in the 2006-2008 fiasco, the editorial board there has yet to deal as honestly with this sordid affair of executive department malfeasance as have such Alaska bloggers as Andrew Halcro, Linda Kellen and AK Muckraker. Even this milk toast editorial failed to arrive at an honest bottom line:

BOTTOM LINE: In the ethics realm, Frank Bailey was a blot on Gov. Palin's record.

The ADN hasn't yet written the true bottom line: In the ethics realm, Sarah Palin has been the biggest blot on Alaska's executive department in the history of our state.

II. E. Ross at Bent Alaska is continuing that blog's excellent coverage of Anchorage's equal right ordinance, with "a new series of ordinance testimonies ..... and will continue posting more next week." Henkimaa and other Anchorage blogs will be covering the continuing legal rights saga too.

III. Coverage of the latest Hayes Research Group poll, showing Sarah Palin's Alaska popularity reaching into negative territory for the first time, was covered by the Mudflats, the Immoral Majority and Just a Girl from Homer.

IV. Steve Aufrecht from What do I Know? was on APRN's Talk of Alaska last Tuesday, talking about ethics reform in Alaska. It was a far-ranging discussion with program host, Steve Heimel, and avoided personality issues. Steve published a background post on this, titled Discussing Ethics in the Middle of a Storm, (now in two parts) that should be mandatory reading of every Alaska legislator and reporter.

V. While writing this, Gryph has posted an article, titled Exclusive! Todd and Sarah are Splitsville!

image - Matt Zencey