By THE ALASKA STORY
Mary Peltola’s US Senate campaign has removed a social media post calling for a ban on factory trawling after the Anchorage Daily News reported that it used the newspaper’s footage without permission.
The footage was shot by then-ADN photojournalist Loren Holmes aboard the Northern Hawk in 2023. Holmes filmed the Alaska-owned factory trawler hauling in a net full of pollock for a story about its efforts to avoid catching salmon. The campaign used that reporting to illustrate an attack on the trawling industry.
The episode lands during an already difficult week for Peltola. A New York Times investigation published Wednesday described allegations from former aides that she used offensive slurs, sent profane messages and shoved an employee. Peltola did not answer reporters’ questions about the story after an Anchorage event Wednesday.
The other side of Mary Peltola: Former aides describe outbursts, slurs and firings
Yet the ADN made sure to get in an endorsement of Peltola. In an ADN opinion column Thursday, former Gov. Tony Knowles urged Alaskans to trust Peltola. He wrote that she “shows up” and “puts Alaska first, every single time.” He said he knows her very well.
“I’ve known Mary Peltola for decades. While I was in the governor’s office, I worked alongside her when she was a state legislator, tackling some of the toughest issues facing our state. What’s always stood out is this: She shows up for Alaska’s working families, and she puts Alaska first, every single time,” Knowles wrote, even while national media is widely reporting the New York Times allegations, including her wishing death-by-botched-abortion on someone. And her referring to people as “faggots” and “retards.”
Knowles apparently is not willing to admit that she missed 18.6% of votes when she was in the Alaska House and over 17.2%of votes when she was in the US House. The median missed votes for House members serving at the end of 2024 was about 2.2%, making her an outlier.
Knowles’ endorsement raises a question: What does he make of the former aides’ accounts? The allegations concern how Peltola treated people who worked for her, and voters deserve to hear her address them directly.
The ADN defended its financial interests when a campaign used its photo without permission. Its readers did not get, as of the publication time of this report, scrutiny of the far more serious evidence of character flaws in a candidate asking to represent Alaska in the US Senate. Nearly a full day after the New York Times expose, the Anchorage Daily News is silent.
2 thoughts on “ADN took note that Peltola swiped its photo. Where’s its coverage of the New York Times allegations?”
Knowles has been a “has been” for decades. He won’t go sideways with the ADN either. Knowles put Ryan Binkley’s dad on the Alaska Railroad Board where he still serves after more than three decades. Rich families and politicians take care of each other.
That chameleon that goes by the name “Meatball” is going to ride that blue wave all the way from Alaska to Washington D.C. I look forward to the campaign signs featuring him! The lizard is fortunate he wasn’t raised by Kristi Noem. That twisted saga involved a “Cricket” also.