Alaska News Outlets Collaborate to Cover Senate Race
Alaska news organizations are sharing content and coordinating reporting to overcome resource scarcity and cover the U.S. Senate race between Mary Peltola and Dan Sullivan.
News organizations across Alaska are increasingly collaborating and sharing content to combat severe resource scarcity and the state's challenging geography. Driven by shrinking newsrooms and the high cost of traveling to remote communities, outlets including The Alaska Beacon, The Anchorage Daily News, and Alaska Public Media are republishing each other's stories and coordinating on voter guides.
This cooperation is central to covering the competitive U.S. Senate race between Democrat Mary Peltola and Republican Dan Sullivan. The Alaska Beacon has shared story planning memos with competitors, and its content has been republished nearly 3,000 times. Additionally, the Alaska News Coalition established a platform for approximately eight newspapers to exchange content, while KSKA has co-hosted political debate series.
While some journalists view these partnerships as a necessary measure to prevent wasteful duplication, critics such as Suzanne Downing argue the trend leads to redundant coverage. The shift is further exacerbated by a decline in staff at major outlets and a perceived reluctance from federal candidates to engage with local reporters.
