News from, and about, Northern Journal

Two years ago, I had just returned to Anchorage from a trip to Asia, and I was unemployed and trying to figure out what to do with my life.

Amid a heck of a lot of change in media and politics, I thought I’d soft-launch a newsletter project to see if I could get any traction.

The response surpassed my wild expectations. Dozens of people signed up for paid subscriptions almost immediately, news organizations quickly began picking up my stories, and it quickly became clear that Northern Journal could be a real thing. It’s now my only work, which means that I get to spend my days (and sometimes nights) pursuing, learning about and visiting the parts of Alaska that interest and fascinate me.

The reason I get to do this is, simply, you. The hundreds of people who have signed up for paid Northern Journal memberships are now paying my mortgage, my heating bill and my business expenses. Which is really not something I could have imagined when this project launched.

So, I wanted to stop for a second and just say thank you to everyone who has supported Northern Journal over the past two years. Reporting stories for you has given me new inspiration to do journalism in Alaska; it’s allowed me to travel across the state, to step onto fishing boats and into corporate offices to learn more about and share with others how our state works. It’s a job I’m incredibly grateful to do.

If you’re not currently a member: This is where I ask that you consider signing up, as I count on reader support in all the ways mentioned above. You can become a member for as little as $10 a month; you can also mail a check to 2709 W. 31st Ave., Anchorage AK 99517, if you’re not into using a credit card. If it’s not in your budget, perhaps consider encouraging a friend, a colleague or parent to sign up — or see if your organization or business can support a membership. 

I’m also still on the hunt for advertisers.

Hoodies and stickers

With that, I have some additional updates on various Northern Journal business.

First! Some truly exciting news: Those of you who have been waiting on tenterhooks for the release of the first limited edition Northern Journal hoodies do not have to wait much longer, thanks to my nephew, graphic designer Zac Bentz. Here’s a mockup, which will be plastered on actual fabric in the next couple of weeks:

If you’ve signed up for a founding membership of $250 or more in the past year — or if you sign up for one before the end of 2024 — I’ll be reaching out to you for sizing and shipping information soon. Any leftovers from the initial order will be sold later on.

Zac also designed some fabulous stickers that I’ll throw in with the hoodies. I’ll also have ‘em with me around town and will be free to any Northern Journal members if you run into me. Extras for good story tips.

Grant news

Some of you may have already noticed, but I’m delighted to be able to announce that Max Graham has joined Northern Journal as a correspondent focused on the mining industry.

This was made possible, in significant part, by readers, who contributed more than $11,000 to a one-time crowdfunding campaign (which is still open!). That response was incredible, and both Max and I are really grateful. He’ll be on the job for at least six months, and likely longer if we’re able to raise more money to keep him on.

Additional support for Max’s work is coming in the form of a $20,000 grant from the Wilburforce Foundation, a Seattle-based conservation group.

Yes: You read that right. Wilburforce is a conservation group, with an agenda. You can read more about them here.

This grant opportunity posed a bit of a dilemma for me.

I wanted to be sure that accepting their support would not jeopardize Northern Journal’s independence, or create an appearance of a conflict of interest.

Wilburforce has funded other media organizations before, namely High Country News and British Columbia-based The Narwhal.

Further conversations with staff from both Wilburforce and The Narwhal gave me the confidence that Wilburforce would not meddle in our coverage — and that they understand that doing so would diminish both their credibility as a funder and Northern Journal’s credibility as a media organization. Wilburforce has no involvement in or special awareness of our reporting, and our grant agreement with them says simply that it’s supporting coverage of mining and its impacts in Alaska.

I remain deeply committed to maintaining Northern Journal’s editorial independence, and I retain full and complete control over the work published in the newsletter and on this site. 

This grant won’t change anything about Northern Journal’s approach to coverage. We will continue to report stories about mining and other issues according to our principles of factual accuracy, transparency, and fairness — and without giving any favor to resource companies, conservation groups, or other organizations with special interests.

I’ve also added a new page to the Northern Journal website that explicitly describes our policies around financial support and journalistic independence. You can read it here. To summarize: We will consider accepting money from individuals and organizations to support coverage of particular topics, as well as for general operations, but we will cede no editorial control over our work.

If you have any questions or concerns about this stuff, I’d encourage you to share them. You can send me an email, or you can text or call me at 907-seven nine three-0312.

As always: Thanks for reading, and supporting this project.