Last month, a Georgia-based media group with several papers and magazines in Alaska misled readers with a controversial editorial. In a leaked corporate memo, a vice president at Morris Communications told papers it owns to run a pre-written editorial, and represent it as a local staff opinion.
Last week, media blogger Jim Romenesko published a leaked corporate email from Morris Communications, in which Vice President for Audience Robert Gilbert told dozens of editors: "You should run it....as your own editorial, not a column or op-ed.”
Readers of the Juneau Empire or Peninsula Clarion would have seen that editorial on September 24th, both are titled "Reckless endangerment." The piece argues against the Obama Administration's policies regarding Syrian refugees, and is given the appearance of having been locally authored.
All 11 Morris-owned daily papers stretching from Alaska to Florida ran the editorial. All but one used identical prose, figures, and even opening lines, which read: "Don't tell us America isn't compassionate."
Morris also owns the Homer News, Chugiak-Eagle River Star, and Alaska Journal of Commerce. The company did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
