It was about a year ago that our small group of Alaska progressive bloggers began to realize that we were performing an important role in getting the word out on how awful a potential Vice President of the USA was our then-governor, the Crazy Woman. As one reporter, journalist, documentary maker, videographer or writer after another told us, "We can't get ANY help from the Alaska media," we would reply, "How may we help?"A year ago, the Anchorage Daily News still occupied both floors of a large building off of Bragaw in the Airport Heights neighborhood of Anchorage. Since then, they've vacated the once-bustling top floor of the building, moving the remaining staff into smaller and smaller domains of what I once predicted would become the Ted Stevens Warehouse of Moldy Stenography.
A year ago, as the Alaska progressive bloggers were hosting, rooming, dining and providing contacts to Outside reporters, the ADN was setting up their Shrine to Sarah Palin. While we were busting our balls to help these curious journalists, the ADN was failing to return these same correspondents' calls. Here are members of the Wasilla Project, a year ago, working on their editing notes in my kitchen:
In the time since, the ADN has covered many stories. They've even attempted to cover the growing importance of the Alaska progressive bloggers, and other bloggers. With diminished staff and resources, Anchorage and Alaska traditional media is hard pressed to cover our rural areas, maritime issues, fisheries issues, science, and even the Alaska legislative session in Juneau. While the MSM here is shrinking, the presence of some of the most articulate Alaska bloggers is growing:Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy
Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy
Yesterday evening, as AK Muckraker, Gryph and I - three Alaska bloggers - were sitting and watching Mr. Whitekeys come up with several overhead projector photo images taken from our blogs and from other blogs like Kodiak Konfidential (the fake Vogue cover), did we care that he was using material we had either created or published? No. We were pumped. We laughed our asses off.
Our small community has grown a lot this past year. More on how much we have contributed soon.
3 comments:
No other newspaper in the country has had a "shrine" to their Governor. It's apalling, pathetic and the ADN is an embarassment to journalism. Can you even call yourselves journalists when half the newspapers income is provided by the Governors office thus creating the shrine? I'd call that a state run newspaper
I would say that the Alaska blogs have contributed very much to our National discourse. You informed us about a whole host of things, not the least the Palin debacle.
And I would like to Thank all of you. You've worked hard and done/do a wonderful job.
Without the Alaskan blogs there might have been a chance for McCain/Palin to actually steal the election succesfully. Not for lack of trting though.
You have also brought us (the lower 48) beautiful pictures and knowledge of Alaska.
I, personally, will be forever grateful.
Mary b
I, too, reside outside Alaska and want to thank you for the great work you've done. It's obvious that your congressional delegation has needed greater scrutiny over the years (mine, also) and I'm so happy that you folks are now providing it. Cheers.
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