Contributed by Josh Fryfogle
In the last 13 years, I’ve seen a revolution of sorts. When I began this publication in May of 2007, it was a different world. We presented the pages of the publication as an open platform for public expression, and as a result, we found a foundation to build a media company.
The philosophy is key. Let the people in Alaska decide what we print, let them express themselves, and increase the number of people who actually use their First Amendment right to freedom of the printing press. Pretty straightforward, and easier to understand today than it was 13 years ago.
Social media has changed the way we communicate, much to the chagrin of the corporate media. Mainstream narratives are now challenged, online, by whomever chooses to express difference or dissent. That’s the spirit that drives social media, and it’s the same spirit of free expression that this publication is devoted to.
Fake News is nothing new at all, and since the days of Yellow Journalism, we’ve had good cause to doubt what the media tells us. Not because the media is filled with unscrupulous cohorts, but because it’s filled with human beings who have inescapable worldviews of their own. Regardless of why, the social media sea change and the rising distrust of corporate media has created a world where this publication is more at home than ever.
Not only do we publish in print, but also online. In fact, this company has grown to a multi-medium media company. We have video production services, a commercial radio station, print services, web design, event production and more. We’ve worked hard over the years to grow the company, but even harder to remain true to our core principles.
The philosophy of free expression has been championed by every champion of anything, either explicitly or implicitly. By expanding access to media services, driven by a consistent philosophy of facilitating free expression of others, we’ve made a media company that is on-call to the community. We continue to push back against the corporate media concept, reminding our community that freedom of the press, and freedom of expression, belongs to all of us.
Thank you so much for reading, and for writing, this publication for 13 years! We literally couldn’t have done this without you.