A blistering and provocative opinion column published in the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner is drawing sharp criticism for its incendiary accusations and for the editorial judgment behind its publication.
The column, written by activist Rebekah McNabb and titled “Fairbanks fights fascism: The local life of an authoritarian project,” alleges that Gov. Mike Dunleavy and sitting Fairbanks North Star Borough Assemblywoman Barbara Haney are local enablers of a broader fascist movement in America.
McNabb’s piece calls for public protest at a Tuesday Chamber of Commerce luncheon where Dunleavy is scheduled to speak, an event that is supported by Haney.
“This is not business as usual. This is a warning,” McNabb writes in the closing line of the piece, which encourages a demonstration at 10th Avenue and Noble Street during the event.
What sparks concern, however, is McNabb’s unrestrained language, particularly the direct characterization of Haney as a promoter of fascist ideology, and Dunleavy as a “regional manager” of authoritarianism.
“Haney, for example, represents what Ruth Ben-Ghiat calls the ‘authoritarian capture of democratic institutions,’” McNabb asserts, adding that Haney “wraps fascist ideology in the language of community values, economic efficiency, and parental rights … that obscure how deeply exclusionary and violent her politics actually are.”
Haney may have a solid defamation case against the newspaper for allowing such characterization of her.
McNabb goes on to describe Gov. Dunleavy as “what happens when Trumpism is given the tools of the state and the cover of rural respectability,” accusing his administration of “attacks on LGBTQ+ rights,” “undermining tribal sovereignty,” and “handing over… control to corporate interests.”
The McNabb column goes further, portraying the Chamber of Commerce’s invitation to Dunleavy as an endorsement of “hierarchy, austerity, and carceral control.” McNabb argues “Civic institutions like chambers of commerce have long played roles in soft-authoritarian movements, providing legitimacy to violent policies under the guise of ‘economic development’ and ‘leadership.’”
Such sweeping allegations, presented without substantiating evidence, are defamatory insinuations against public officials and civic organizations. The column may have crossed the line from opinion into libel, especially in its treatment of Assemblywoman Haney.
Haney, a conservative member of the borough assembly, has not publicly responded to the column, but people close to her campaign expressed disbelief over the newspaper’s decision to publish what they called a “baseless, defamatory, and inflammatory attack.”
“It’s one thing to disagree on policy,” said a conservative activist in Fairbanks. “It’s another thing to accuse your political opponents of enabling fascism. That’s a charge that goes way beyond the pale and strains the expectation of civil discourse.”
The News-Miner, a mainstream news source for Interior Alaska, has taken a hard turn to the left in the past decade.
“Publishing this column is not an act of neutrality,” said another Fairbanks resident. “It’s an act of defamation cloaked as commentary. It’s deeply irresponsible.”
McNabb, who identifies in the column as a “disabled activist in Alaska” and writes under the pen name “Anarchist Jew,” and appears to be a self-published commentator on Substack.
The column’s call to protest specifically targets a luncheon hosted by the Greater Fairbanks Chamber of Commerce, scheduled for 11:30 am to 1:30 pm on Tuesday. According to McNabb, the goal of the protest is to be “louder than the lie.”
But while peaceful protest is a protected right, the broader implications of labeling elected officials and civic institutions as part of a fascist network raise questions not only about political discourse, but about the role of editorial oversight in Alaska’s Interior newspaper.
As the 2026 campaign season heats up, the media’s editorial decisions, and the limits of political commentary allowed to smear across their pages, will very much be part of the public conversation.
Haha! The profile tells us everything we need to know. And look at those stupid glasses! Red Flag Lenses!
The real crime here is someone mated with it.
LOL … ….good post. But, how does one mate with an “it?”
Industrial adhesive of course.
Many times have considered escaping from anchorage to Fairbanks unfortunately too many liberals and other weird dopers living up there. If there’s any decent people left in Fairbanks they might wanna consider what has happened to their community oops wait a minute just like Anchorage!
Again I am not from Alaska but I am pleased I found this news source. Mainstream media has a problem and it will not move off its mediocrity. It will certainly die.
This writer has all of the trademarks of a fascist herself, so clearly wouldn’t know a National Socialist if one bit her on the butt. Maybe needs to give up the chemicals in her diet soda?
You hit the nail right on the head, Mike. Why do you think DNM is slowly going out of business. Maybe the Binkley Family can buy it for a few grand?
“taken a hard turn to the left”. Bill Snedden is turning over in his grave….
Well, it is the Daily News-Miner after all. And reading her bio, it’s no wonder she said what she said. Looney writer; lazy, sympathetic editor. All adds up to a real zoo. Hey, and when everyone is a fascist, no one is a fascist. Except maybe for Rivka McNabb.
This girl is a ridiculous clown. When did the news miner decide to start publishing junior-high school level attempts at journalism?
It’s sad that so many people have zero understanding of what Facism is. It is not, as has been widely shared through propaganda, a right wing belief. Facism is at its core a left wing ideology. Facism is the polar opposite of classic liberalism and classic liberalism is a right wing ideology. Classic liberalism emphasizes individual rights, liberty, and the consent of the governed, supports limited government intervention in the economy and personal life, the goal is a society where individuals are free to pursue their own interests. Left wing ideology does not support any of those things, in fact it supports the exact opposite. Marxism, Communism, Socialism, every left wing ideology supports the state over the individual they do not support individual rights, liberty, or the consent of the governed all left wing ideology supports heavy government intervention in the economy and personal life, the goal is a society where individuals are forced to pursue the goals of government. Virtually every definition of Facism will explain how it is in direct opposition to right wing classic liberalism beliefs and most will then gaslight you and say that all of the left wing beliefs that are core tenets of Facism are somehow right wing. Mussolini was a left wing Facist Authoritarian, Hitler was a left wing Facist Authoritarian, Franco was a left wing Facist Authoritarian.
So your saying mussolini was a leftist? As was Hitler?? Damn bro what strain are you smoking to come up with that.
Poor little Mikey Garfield seems to be a bit confused.
They were leftists.
National Socialist… shortened to Nazi.
And mussolini was absolutely a leftist. But, since you have already demonstrated your complete and total lack of historical knowledge, I do not expect you to realize your mistake.
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Perhaps, instead of posting comments on a website, you should dedicate your time to suing your school district for the education you so richly deserve, but were denied.
Mussolini… invented the classical definition of Fascism, as an explicit racial supremacist and purveyor of Empire. Misunderstanding socialism as a workers led democracy model that should dismantle centralized governments is a huge reason modern fascism used the specter of ‘socialism’ to get Americans to vote against their right to self governance. The aim of leftism should be to dismantle oppressive governments and hierarchal racial or gender power structures everywhere.
Sheb,
To be absolutely 100% clear, although I already was absolutely 100% clear, yes both Mussolini and Hitler were leftists. Look at their beliefs and match them to the belief leftists and then match them the the beliefs of the beliefs of classic liberalism. A simple Venn Diagram shows irrefutably that they are leftists, since words are apparently that hard to follow.
Good points. A couple of good references are The Fascist Manifesto, written in 1919 by Alceste DeAmbris and Filippo Marinetti, and The Doctrine of Fascism by Benito Mussolini, 1932.
I smell another university-brainwashed marxist useful idiot here.
Rebekah apparently forgot to put Skittles color in her hair, though, like every other good radical leftist extremist. She is going to be disciplined at the next Party meeting for that.
The correct spelling is “Daily News Minor”.
Negative – we call it the “News-Mindless” for a reason. I would treat the whole episode as even stupider sarcasm, but these commie’tards are serious about violence and/or canceling/silencing opposing views. A lot of it is coming from UAF.
Daily Newsless Miner
Haney should sue the Newsminus for $$$ BIG bucks on this one. A complete retraction for sure is owed to her by this daily scrunge rag. Actually, Governor Dunleavy has a defamation case against the Newsminus too. What poor editorial judgment to let this piece of garbage editorial to get into print. Fairbanks has reached the bottom of the sewer tank with its politics.
Not yet Sarah… There is still a sizable contingent of sane, decent, clear-thinking people who tend to vote conservative. But I would hate to see what the bottom looks like!
I wonder if McNabb, the anarchist Jew, is really just Savannah Fletcher stirring up more sh*t in our community? Fletcher is well known for this kind of projection on her enemies.
Geez, what’s the big deal here? All Republicans are fascists. I’ve been saying that for years in my wonderful blog. You can look it up.
Blah… Blah… Blah… Nothing more than the typical Leftist drivel you’re so well known for, Mutt.
Says Dimwit, the remaining brother who spawned hate in the Interior. Such a nasty old man.
Yes, you have been saying that for years.
And, for years, you have failed to provide any information backing up your claim of fascism in any way.
Oh Fairbanks…,
I believe this is the disgraced, former Assembly woman Savannah Fletcher getting her digs back on Barb Haney. Fletcher just got censured by the Borough Assembly. Last year, Fletcher got her pal Kristen Schupp to file charges on Haney. Now Fletcher found this wacked-out, marijuana addicted lesbian to write a hit piece on Barb Haney and Governor Dunleavy. The Bar Association needs to closely examine who they allow on the Judicial Council. Fletcher, an environmental activist lawyer, is now on the Judicial Council selecting new judges for Alaska. These bad actors playing out their fantasies of revenge in public is a disgrace to our community.
That’s why the judiciary is so Marxist.
As a long-time subscriber of the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, I read the June 9, 2025 “community perspective” titled: “Fairbanks fights fascism: The local life of authoritarian project”. The word “fascism” appeared many times.
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But what is “fascism”? Benito Mussolini coined the term and gained power in Italy in 1922. “Fascism” has bad connotations, because Mussolini banned other political parties, curtailed freedom of speech and of the press, and unjustly conquered the innocent country of Ethiopia.
Hitler, who became the dictator of Germany in 1933, gave even worse connotations to the word “fascism” by being extremely antisemitic and committing mass genocide against Jewish people.
Here in the United States, there is some antisemitism, but not on the part of the government, but rather just from a few radical pockets (such as on some college campuses).
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“Economic fascism” means “government control, but not ownership over the means of production” (in other words heavy-handed government regulations). Examples of this in the U.S. are “Obamacare” (passed into law in 2010) with it original 3 terrible mandates (employer mandate, insurance company mandate and individual mandate).
Can “economic fascism” come to Alaska? Yes. An example is Ballot Measure #1 from November 2024 which features a government mandate forcing a steady rise in the minimum wage, a mandate forcing small businesses to pay for “sick leave”, and curtailing freedom of speech on business owners. Ballot Measure #1 passed in 2024 (though some citizens voted “yes” unwittingly, failing to read the fine print). It is due to go into full force on July 1, 2025. To find out if there are any possible “economic fascists” lurking amongst us, ask if they voted “yes” on Ballot Measure #1.
The mainstream news media loves a mass killing, up evil and threats so why are we surprised. The current news media for the most part is the bottom of the barrel, they love Disaster and misery. Blood and guts. It’s really to bad there are great people and good stories to write about and basically we get none of that.
Haha did you read her bio. Ha ha lord have mercy.
Next, the Fairbanks Daily News Minus will be allowing inmates to write Community Perspectives, like, “Murder, Rape and Robbery
Ain’t No Big Deal.”
Or, “How to Massage Your Child.”
Your hometown paper is run by misfits, midgets, and miscreants. Trash! (But good enough for Democrats).
Ignatius J. Reilly, come get your girlfriend.
Even he would turn her down.
A nice five million dollar lawsuit would teach the racists at the DNM not to slander people. If they say it, they have to have proof.
I find it sad that if you tried to talk at it, it would honestly believe it’s an “honest” “journalist”.
I’m still waiting for someone who believes in Marxism, Communism, Socialism and all other left wing ideologies to give me an example of a country where it has worked. If there was ever a bunch of people who live in a fantasy world with no reality, it would be those idiots.
This doesn’t strike me as a surprise. IMO the daily newsminer, aka Snoozeminer, aka News Minus, aka News Manure, has always had a left tilt.
But, the chick that wrote that um, stuff, seems nice. /sarc
The only reason for buying or subscribing to the Newsminer are the puzzles. Classifieds: gone.
Sports: boring accounts. International and national news: go to the Internet. Local news: the mayor walking his dogs, Grier Hopkins big smiling photos, and Healy gets a new dog kennel. Weather: Internet. Obituaries: oh, my old babysitter from the 70’s kicked it last week. Science: ho-hum, another brain-washed UAF student reports on permafrost.
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Really, the Newsminer is just a printed dog whistle for old, outdated, pot smoking Democrats who are either sitting around waiting to be in the obituary page, or waiting for another ethics complaint to be filed against Barbara Haney.
I like the comics and the obituaries.
I hope she stays in “Cold Hell”.
My children/grand children do not need any of what she has to offer.
My guess is she was an honor roll graduate at UAF and possibly on the Dean’s list as the most likely to succeed in journalism.
Excellent bio by the way. LOL
Rivka Dean, as Rebekah McNabb prefers to call herself, claims to come from North Bay, Ontario. I wonder what her immigration status is?
Probably a stowaway on a container ship. Or maybe, her parents dropped her off at Canadian Customs hoping to exchange her for a stray dog.