Anchorage’s largest alternative newspaper has done it again. The headline on the Anchorage Daily News says the court has ordered Gov. Michael Dunleavy to fix the language on the ballot initiative regarding the new supercharged oil tax.
Only the problem is, Dunleavy has nothing to do with the language that goes on the ballot. The job of the Division of Elections is overseen by the independent lieutenant governor, who does not report to the governor.
The story itself also buries the lead: The Alaska Supreme Court has actually accepted the language offered by the lieutenant governor for Ballot Measure 1, except for one minute segment of explanation, and even then, it has accepted the lieutenant governor’s substitute language for that segment.
Reading the story however, one gets the impression the Alaska Supreme Court has ordered Lt. Gov. Kevin Meyer to change all the wording on the ballot measure that voters will decide in November.
Oil tax proponent Robin Brena, who is the law partner of former Gov. Bill Walker, sued over the wording; the part that he wanted changed relates to making the oil companies’ financial records a matter of public record.
Brena argued vehemently in court that the language on the ballot initiative is biased against the plan that would add higher taxes on oil. In court, he was extremely unhappy with the direction the justices were going. That’s not the spin he gave the ADN, of course: He claimed victory.
But the Supreme Court, after raking Brena over the coals, went on to say that his initiative does not indicate in any way the process by which the public will have access to the oil companies’ financial records. In other words, if there is no process outlined, it is going to have to follow the process outlined in statute.
There’s the rub: That was what the original summary said in the first place. This is a loss for Brena, but characterized by the ADN as a win.
During his oral arguments, Brena had brought up the work history of Lt. Gov. Meyer, who used to be employed by Conoco-Phillips. He also brought up Meyer’s voting record when he was in the Senate: Meyer voted in favor of SB 21, the current oil tax structure.
The justices told Brena he was wasting the court’s time bringing those points forward.
The bottom line is the language proposed by the lieutenant governor for the ballot summary was ultimately accepted by the Alaska Supreme Court.
Readers may download the brief decision and decide for themselves if the ADN story shows bias against Dunleavy, Meyer, and the Division of Elections:
Bias from ADN? Surely you jest. What else can you expect from that rag?
“Alternative newspaper!!!” HAHAHA!!!
So disappointed in the Binkley leadership at ADN. I see no difference between them, Alice Rogoff and McClatchy’s ownership.
The only common thread I see between those three is all three operated with red ink..!!..just another chapter for ‘Bent Pins to chains”
Agree
Pretty sure that ADN is losing money at a significant rate. Their advertising dollars have been drying up. The election cycle may keep them afloat through end of year. But with businesses going away there will likely be even less advertising dollars spent. Next year.
Who will take it over is a good question. I would happily invest in any entity taking it on if Suzanne Downing was involved it its management. Anyone else feel the same?
I agree. The phoenix of decent and honest journalism needs to rise again. I will support Suzanne Downing with my donations and any other feasible means to get the credible news to the public. The ADN has just proclaimed that summer is over. Snort! Not sure if that “non-news” is still on the ADN website – the article was “filler” for more propaganda to come.
Is Johne Binkley really planning on running for office again? He’s making lots of Republican enemies. Unless, of course, he’s now a Democrat.
“ADN, Alaska’s largest alternative newspaper.”
Loving it!
I wonder how sales and advertising volumes are doing with ADN?
Here, here!
ADN is clearly an asset of the DNC!
Why is seemingly everyone who works for Anchorage’s main newspaper, and our television stations’ news departments, unabashedly and idiotically liberal?
It is amazing. Apparently they cannot read, don’t know history, are unaware of world events or just refuse to see what has happened around the world in nations that turned to leftism.
Dan Fagan, a former reporter for KTUU and now a defector from their groupthink ranks, is one of the very few with common sense. The others all promote the same leftist garbage.
Do they only hire people that think left?
I hope the ADN reads this, there’s no way to get through to them.
Print the news. No more less. Do not try to print a newspaper that purports to be from another place or a place that you would like it to be.
No More no less…
Still “The Daily Worker”, or “Anchorage Pravda”; depending on who you ask!
“Largest alternative newspaper” when refering to ADN. Alaska’s most biased website has done it again. Fully biased reporting.
MARC, you obviously haven’t been paying attention or you are a union member.
MARC, understand that practically all news outlets have a bias to some degree. The difference is MRAK readers know there will be a more conservative fact-based bias often reporting stories that would never see the light of public day because the story doesn’t fit the leftist narrative.
The readers of ADN, on the other hand, mostly think they don’t read any bias. And once again, MRAK has pointed out the blatant bias ADN pretends not to have. Maybe a couple more folks won’t be fooled again because of this article that ADN would not dream of reporting on.
I guess you didn’t read the article.
Thank you, Suzanne for reporting on the reporting, especially when it is intentionally misleading.
We have a leftist mayor, radical left assembly, leftist newspaper and left leaning TV stations.
Yet, most the people who live here do not identify as liberal.
How’d that happen?
John,
I guess only the Lefties read the ADN. Conservatives are too busy working and feeding their families, and paying taxes from money earned in the private sector.
Average age of the ADN reporters is about 12. Their COVID expert, Megan Krakow, is in her first job: Morgan Krakow is a general assignment reporter for the Anchorage Daily News. She is a 2019 graduate of the University of Oregon and spent the past summer as a reporting intern on the general assignment desk of The Washington Post.
How many years experience do the Binkley’s have in running a newspaper?
It’s easy to identify a true conservative in this town if you know what to look for. MAGA hat. Someone with an American flag in the bed of their pickup. A cowboy hat. Someone wearing a gun. Someone not wearing a mask. A white guy who looks like he needs that full PFD check for everyone in his family — needs it to live. A guy who proudly hates everything which could be perceived as liberal or anything associated with a democrat politician. And someone who looks like your wife.
Isn’t it great that MRAK isn’t afraid to let folks post adversarial things? As a general rule, conservatives actually invite discussion and welcome thoughtful conversation. We try and avoid ad hominem (for that is the lowest of logical fallacy), and resist the temptation to label ALL on the left as one group. We recognize individuals. This allows us to like many things that Trump does without mandating that he also be our family role model or priest.
We know that some on the left think they can spend their own money better than the government, and others on the left want the government to take more of their money. They are not all the same.
We conservatives would hope those on the left or liberal-minded, would give us a similar courtesy to not consistently cook us all in the same pot (We all must love EVERYthing about Trump, wear a gun, be a white guy, etc).
Alas, Eric S shows that can’t always happen. And so, conversations abruptly end before they begin…again.
Never has a group bragged more about their tolerance while showing so little to someone with which they disagree as much as today’s left. And that is a generally true statement as Eric S has so aptly displayed for us here.
The ADN is a pile of bird cage material. The change in ownership only proved that the new owners have to act progressive and Left-wing to drive some sales, because the rest of Alaska basically doesn’t give a s**t about that little rag.
Eric, whoa dude, talk about stereotypes! I identify as a conservative, do not wear a cowboy hat. Do not own a MAGA hat and I drive a Subaru Forester. BTY, according to 23 and me I also am part African. Well, a ton more then Elizabeth Warren was American Indian.
Eric,
but a Liberal, Left-winger only need open their mouth for identification:
Trump hater. America hater.
What an odd thing to say Eric. I would say you don’t appear to be a very good judge of much of anything.
Guess if you don’t have anything logical or illuminating to say, a few personal insults directed toward some fantasy stereotype you carry around in your head will do.
Feel better now Eric?
Here’s a newsflash: You’re wrong.
There is no surprise here, as the liberals always attempt to obfuscate and lie when the real world hits them in the face. They believe they are the light when, in reality, they are the purveyors of darkness, attempting to shove all of us into a modern Dark Ages with their rhetoric.
Suzanne thank you so much!! If it not for you, we most likely would be believing all the baloney because there wasn’t a paper like yours where actual journalism brought facts. Today, in the nasty world we live in where the truth is said to be lies, we need more like you to uncover what is real. You have. Thank you again! Keep up the great work!
I know quite a few people including myself have quit the daily rag because of the liberal left they’ve lost a lot of subscriptions. But they keep leaning left I hope they go broke soon
Just canceled my subscription to the ADN. We need honest reporting in this state. I thought the Rogoff days were awful – the current ADN matches them in the awful department. Keep up the good work, Suzanne.
Good for you, OA. Send Suzanne the money instead.
ADN, simply inept ‘leftist’ rubbish, always three days old, not worth one cent on the buck.
The disappointment we all have with the current owners of the Anchorage Daily News makes us appreciate MustReadAK all the more, but truly the need for MustReadAK extends far beyond that shortcomings of that one poor newspaper. To no small degree the dishonest arithmetic about state spending as reported by much of the media, including the Anchorage Daily News and the Juneau Empire brought on the state fiscal situation. We also see similarly dishonest portrayals of Alaska court decisions, candidates and elections, crime and other news by the same mainstream media. We see a Lt. Gov. resign and the media decide to avoid telling us what happened (even though they were there and saw it happen), but a year later the same group – AFN – meets again to rudely give the Governor a hard time and that is examined by the same media seven ways from Sunday. Kyle Hopkins tells us again and again the racial make-up of assaulted Alaska women – disproportionately Native of course – but in avoiding telling us anything about the racial make-up of those people convicted of those same crimes he implies that it’s white men committing the crimes. So Hopkins gets a journalism prize. Those same media are subsidized by public notice requirements in law, and of course Public Broadcasting lives off of governmental subsidies. And there is a revolving door between these media and state and local government. We cannot change all this in other states but we damn well need to change it in Alaska!
Literally when someone’s administration does anything, it’s most common to refer to the head of that administration. Ya’ll are brainwashed.
Laura,
Ya’ll come back to MRAK now.
Ya hear?
Is Must Read Alaska censoring now? My comment was deleted from this post. Wow. And you say that leftists are censoring. What’s happened to you?
When talking about an action of an administration, people typically refer to the leader of the administration. There are plenty of things to criticize! This is not one of them!
Laura,
We heard you the first time, above.
Can you contact Joe Biden’s campaign office and ask where he gets his impediments recalibrated. You should check it out. Might help.
Eric, I have been a conservative my entire life and have NEVER been or done any of those items on your so-called conservative spotting list. Nor do I know any conservatives who fit that ridiculous description. I can be magnanimous in saying that I know some wonderful liberals who give freely of their time and money and often try to save people who don’t want to be helped. I have also observed that many liberals lack common sense. There’s a key component missing in their reasoning skills–they usually chose the worst possible option to solve a problem, as President Jimmy Carter so often did, according to his Cabinet.
Alaska Rose, Eric likes to use this board to spoof people on their views in a way he feels is comedic. Most of his stuff is just to goad conservatives. It’s not meant to be taken seriously. I think. – sd
Please tell Eric, that laughter is the medicine. Truth is the cure. Eric hasn’t even found the medicine yet.
Comments are closed.