Newspaper in decline? ADN loses editorial page editor to Democrat government gig

By
Suzanne Downing
-
34

Tom Hewitt, who has been editorial page editor of the Anchorage Daily News for six and a half years, is leaving the newspaper and heading back to his hometown of Fairbanks, where another job — a government gig — awaits him starting Monday.

Hewitt said in a social media post that his marriage broke up, prompting many life changes. He made the comment on bluesky, a social media site where Alaska liberals have drifted; he has recently erased all of his posts at X, which is what some other liberal media members and politicos are doing in a fit of pique since free speech has been restored at X and conservatives now are able to engage there.

Among the changes at the ADN itself is the unionization of the newsroom, but it’s unclear that Hewitt wanted to participate. 80% of the newsroom at the paper signed authorization cards this year and petitioned to unionize with the National Labor Relations Board.

Before the ADN, Hewitt was editorial page editor of the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner and news director of KTVF and KXDF. He is a lifelong Alaskan and connected to Fairbanks, where he also went to college.

The ADN has not yet said whether it will replace Hewitt or outsource the work of opinion writing and letter editing. Word is that Hewitt is going to work for Borough Mayor Grier Hopkins, a Democrat.

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34 COMMENTS

  1. A leftist newspaper editor jumping like a rat from a sinking ship for a cushy government job? Say it isn’t so? The only thing that would be more delicious is if he was going to work at CNN, MSNBC or the DNC.

  2. I don’t know anyone who subscribes to the ADN, the last time I did was 1990. Are there enough leftists in south central to keep it alive? Money must be coming from the lower 48, to help ADN.

    • I conveyed to my tenants that I noticed were duped into subscribing to the Anchorage daily fish wrapper. I showed that they are contributing as to why their rent keeps going up. Right now, we’re at zero dumpster rubbish/adn delivery’s. Saving trees also

    • What are your Alaska news sources, Mr. Peterson? To effectively counter the dope that the lefties are peddling you need to rely on more than old women’s gossip, which I’m sure you don’t given you’re here at MRA! What are your primary sources of information?

    • I dunno. Los Anchorage keeps electing a bunch of commie nut jobs to their assembly. Must be a majority of leftists there, unless they’re just really good at election fraud.

  3. Outsource the work of opinion and letter writing. Sure, have some impartial and open minded scholar from San Francisco write it.

  4. adn only good that comes out of that rag is the comics!
    Oh & it is also great to line bird cages!
    I am sure “greg” loves it though!

  5. Legacy Media.
    Outwardly and unabashedly Leftist – so they alienate, at least, 50% of the market.
    They are a propaganda apparatus for the State.
    They no longer serve their intended primary role – which was to keep the government and big corporations in check through real investigative reporting – they aid and abet the State and BigCorp at every turn.
    They malign and impugn 50% of the population as dumb, racist, incorrigible, and misogynist.
    AND – they have no comments section in Establishment media – because the truth and counterprevailing ideas truly offend their delicate sensibilities.
    That’s a FAILED business model.
    Their response – double down on the LibTard nonsense.

  7. It’s just changing the name on the signature line of the paycheck. He’s been working for the Donkey Party the whole time!!

  8. This ‘rag’ has been in decline since the Anchorage Times went out of business some three decades ago.

  9. Yes, Scott Kendall………who is Grier Hopkins brother, got him the job up in Fairbanks. Now, Hewitt gets to become a bonafide member of the Hopkins Cartel, which has daddy Hopkins running the show and uncle Dave Guttenberg the strong man on the Assembly protecting baby Grier from getting into trouble. Thanks, Scott, for getting rid of this POS Hewitt
    and relocating him back up to Fairbanks. He should go well up there with all of the insane commies running local government into the ground, at taxpayer expense. Good riddance.

    • You gotta be kidding, Rick. Luke is about on the same wavelength as Joe Biden. In other words, the signals don’t work very fast. Most times they don’t work at all. Lol …

      • Is there an active flow chart that shows how these Hopkins relationships work? Doesn’t this cabal have a descendency from several FNSB mayor’s, including Jim Sampson and next, Jim Whitaker?. It can then be linked to ex-Governor Bill Walker, whom Scott Kendall worked for as Chief of Staff. Flow chart? Anyone? This needs to be addressed…….
        Openly.

  10. I don’t have anything nice to say about Hewitt. So, I’m taking my Mom’s advice and not saying anything. Watch out for that door Tom.

  11. Read both sides and stay informed, folks.

    “if you know your enemies and know yourself, you will not be imperiled in a hundred battles”. – Sun Tzu, “Art of War”

    • Correct.
      I subscribe & keep an eye on everything.
      Plus there’s local sports, crime & drama ….. $13 a month.

    • How do you avoid the ADN side? All mainstream news sources in Alaska are working to flatter the left (including Murkowski voters) and dispel everyone else. I would love to read a paper that didn’t package propaganda as objective reporting and that’s why I don’t encourage the ADN with any of my money. I hope it goes away completely.

  12. The ADN has not yet said whether it will replace Hewitt or outsource the work of opinion writing and letter editing.

    I nominate Suzanne Downing! She just might be able to revive that rag.

  13. Grier? Is that the same guy? Anchorage news station reports on the Fairbanks mayor as Grier Hopkins. Good grief. You folks in Fairbanks may be in for some unpleasantries.

    • It was actually a misprint in the Anchorage broadcast, spelled Grief. Sometimes misprints are a better source of truth.

  14. ADN had an editor? I really didn’t know that. I thought all they had were a bunch of wannabe cub reporters.

  16. Considering the HISTORY of ADN was started in 1917…Yawn…so how’s that Birthright owner of Russia doing these days? You know…the reason Russia exhumed graves in Russia and Jerusalem? When in doubt call BDO…then send that DNA test to the UN and ICC…oh look…they have been seizing assets since Russia attacked Ukraine…they must have said NO to a family reunion…oh well…sounds like it is time to take the First People’s to the ICC…Let them teach the world some manners…raised eyebrows…

  18. Are you all kidding? Tom’s a good kid. He’s nice, he cares about this state and he’s an Alaskan born and raised. We don’t always agree what’s best for Alaska but I’ve never questioned his motives. I wish him the best and I’d rather have him in muni government than some of the other options.

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