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Erika Bolstad

Erika Bolstad covers Alaska issues, including the congressional delegation, from Washington, D.C., for McClatchy Newspapers. Before joining the bureau this summer, she spent seven years as a reporter at the Miami Herald, where she covered politics, government and the state legislature. E-mail Erika at ebolstad@adn.com.

Sean Cockerham

Sean Cockerham writes about Alaska state politics. He spent three years based in Juneau for the Daily News before joining the Tacoma News-Tribune two years ago to write about Washington state politics. He went to Iraq twice for the News Tribune, and previously wrote about Alaska government and politics for the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner. Now he's back in Anchorage. E-mail Sean at scockerham@adn.com

Kyle Hopkins

Kyle Hopkins writes about Anchorage city government and politics. He covered last year's campaign for governor, and has blogged extensively about Alaska politics for the past year. He grew up in Southeast Alaska and was a reporter at the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner and Anchorage Press. E-mail Kyle at khopkins@adn.com

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Anonymous sources

Posted by Alaska_Politics

Posted: September 20, 2007 - 6:55 pm

Here's a note from Daily News editors:

The Associated Press put out a story this afternoon reporting that former Veco Chairman Bill Allen agreed to assist the FBI by secretly recording telephone calls with Sen. Ted Stevens. If true, this represents a major new development in the corruption investigation, signaling that the FBI was so interested in Stevens that it attempted to ensnare him in a sting. The AP report didn’t say whether Stevens incriminated himself in any of the calls.

The AP story relied on two unnamed sources, with no confirmation from any named individual. As such, the story will not be published by the Anchorage Daily News, either in our print edition, or as a regular story on adn.com. (The story did appear at adn.com in a part of the site where AP stories automatically are posted.)

We are drawing attention to that story here because we don’t think readers of the Daily News should be the only ones in the country to not know about it — it is being published on Web sites and in newspapers everywhere. However, we also have no intent to let competitive pressures sway what we believe to be is our very sound sources policy, because in the long view that we take, we believe a newspaper’s credibility with its readers is its most valuable asset. We hope we are being transparent in alerting our readers to the story, yet explaining why we are not attaching our own credibility to it.

The Daily News’ policy on sources isn’t completely rigid. We have on rare occasions used unnamed sources in our stories and in wire stories that we’ve republished. In balancing whether to publish or not, we take several factors into consideration:

- Do we ourselves know the identities of the sources, even if we cannot publish their names, and do we know them to be credible?

- Would the sources be put in serious personal jeopardy if they were named?

- Would the information otherwise never be revealed, and is it important from a public policy standpoint?

We have no way to evaluate the truth of the AP story because we don’t know the sources and we haven’t gotten independent confirmation ourselves. If the facts are true, they are likely to come out in due time.

login or register to post comments

15 September 26, 2007 - 11:57am | katiepez

What is AP's policy on unnamed sources?

I have friends who have worked for the AP who say there is a rigid policy in place regarding anonymous sourcing. So from that, one would think that any story put out by the AP with unnamed sources would have already been rigorously scrutinized.

That said, does anyone know AP's actual policy on unnamed sources? Would be interesting to see it.

September 26, 2007 - 12:21pm | rfn

AP, in the 21st Century,

is nothing like it was historically.

When there was real domestic competition:

United Press
International News Service

an agency would be pilloried over sloppy work.

14 September 21, 2007 - 8:36pm | theodosius30

Kyle, can you tell us whether the other newspapers

owned by the McClatchy chain are publicizing the stories?

13 September 21, 2007 - 8:37pm | theodosius30

Watergate

If the editors of the ADN had been running the Washington Post during the Nixon administration they would never have publicized the information provided by Deep Throat. This ADN policy is bogus. I think it is disgusting that we have to get news about what is happening with our Alaska delegation from outside sources.

I think the ADN is subject to the same sorts of cosy relationships with the political establishment that it criticises the Legislature for having with lobbyists. Pretty difficult to come down hard on a people that you have known for years, that you have dinner with, maybe even your kids or siblings have married into their families.

But Ted and Don owe this State explanations, and it is the responsibility of the press to force them to provide those explanations-social connections or not.

12 September 21, 2007 - 10:16am | jcpage

a quote from the editor's note

"we believe a newspaper’s credibility with its readers is its most valuable asset."

That's rich. This from the newpaper that published Veco's Voice of the Times for so many years.

September 21, 2007 - 10:28am | chilcoot

The ADN published the Voice of the Times as a paid advertisement, just one with a fixed location every day. I don't think you can fairly slam the ADN for accepting advertising that differs from its own editorial perspective.

September 21, 2007 - 11:10am | jcpage

hazy

Editorial or advertisment? ADN is on record identifying the VOTT as both. You don't see a problem? I feel safe criticizing ADN for accepting Allen's $$$ and publishing that garbage. The association tarnished ADN's credibility in my opinion. I'd describe it as whorish behavior.

September 21, 2007 - 10:43am | seewhy

if it was advertising

it was never noted as such. it was advertising masquerading as journalism.

September 21, 2007 - 11:03am | chilcoot

Yes It Was

It was frequently noted as paid space, whenever the ADN wrote about the Voice of the Times, especially whenever their agreement was renewed.

Here, for example, is how the ADN characterized the relationship in a news story on October 20, 2004 at page B1:

"The Times paid nothing to publish its editorial comment in the Daily News for the first five years. Since then, The Times has paid the Daily News for the actual cost of publishing its editorial page."

11 September 21, 2007 - 8:24am | alaskadiva

What about the Bush admin?

Ok, so big oil owns Alaska's pols. But, why hasn't the investigation taken in the Bush admin.? IF the CEO/Pres. of Hunt oil is on the President's Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board why do we even care about Big O's nose being in the Juneau circus tent?

Seems like Cheney, et al are in it up to their necks and nobody cares. Why pick on Alaska?
Is this just another Bush distraction from 'reality'? Isn't Cheney's office levitating between the reality of the exec and the Congress enough entertainment?

On the issue of 'anonymous sources' I think the ADN needs to put it on the front page and let the readers see it with their oatmeal. Beats having it drift into your consciousness from NPR before you've even had your first jolt of java in the morning!

10 September 21, 2007 - 7:38am | FlyOnTheWall

A blog post is a good start, but insufficient

Thanks for this post - it's illuminating, and provides a useful window into your decision-making process. I regret that you weren't able to gain independent confirmation of the story; the WashPost, for example, dealt with its reservations by confirming the account with an anonymous source.

But I also have to take issue with your decision not to run any mention of the AP claim in your print edition. If you're uncomfortable with an anonymously-sourced account, that's fine. But there are two stories here that are worth reporting: that Stevens may have been taped, and that Stevens has been *reported* to have been taped. You acknowledge the newsworthiness of this latter story: "We are drawing attention to that story here because we don’t think readers of the Daily News should be the only ones in the country to not know about it."

That's absolutely right, and it suggests an alternative approach. If you're uncomfortable reprinting the AP story verbatim, why not print an original news story on the allegations it contains? Source the allegations to the AP, explain in the story that they could not be independently confirmed, and give the Senator a chance to respond (or to issue his habitual 'no comment.') When the AP story crossed the wire, it instantly impacted the career of the most important politician in Alaskan history. That's something your readers deserve to know, and not just the few who read this blog. And if the allegations are unfounded, Stevens can say so.

Sure, there's the risk of besmirching an innocent man. That's why you shouldn't simply reprint a story you can't confirm as if you know it to contain established fact. But the allegations are out there, they've changed the balance of Alaska politics, and your readers need to know that.

9 September 20, 2007 - 11:59pm | jauntmag

What about Bowles/Allen?

Is the fact that Jim Bowles knew about and participated in the conspiracy not newsworthy enough for you, either?

Seriously, I fully expected to see that on the front page, but ..... deafening silence from the ADN. Truly disappointing.

September 21, 2007 - 8:48am | alaskadiva

This was news last week!

Yeah, where was this Bowles connection on the front page? It was news in Bloomberg last week! Anyone awake over at the ADN?

September 21, 2007 - 1:02am | tlamb775

Or Ray's statute of limitation's argument

Does this mean that APOC reports from 2000 that have VECO contributions "earmarked" to candidates from special bonuses, could those contributions be investigated if Ray is correct?

Didn't Don Young get hit about illegal contributions and statute of limitations?

September 22, 2007 - 12:39am | edgefinder

I think tere were certain

I think tere were certain [questionable] contributions that he paid back and others he didn't because he had passed the statute of limitations , so in his mind they were now okay to keep.

Perfectly logical for the corrupt.

8 September 20, 2007 - 10:04pm | undeclared

CNN Breaking News

I first heard about this watching CNN on one of the televisions earlier this evening at the Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport.

September 21, 2007 - 8:04am | metanoia2k

HAHAHAHAHA....

Thanks for the Irony...beautifully done.

7 September 20, 2007 - 9:57pm | niklake

I think Pat lost his bet, what do you think?

Back in early August, I bet Pat Dougherty a burger at Alaska Burgerman on Old Seward that the ADN would be trumped time and again on these stories by outside and underground media as these interesting stories worked their way to denoument. Is there any way he can redeem the ADN at this point?

You can look up my challenge at the so-called "Editor's blog" under the WSJ heading. Does he owe me a burger or not, folks?

September 21, 2007 - 8:07am | metanoia2k

Cut Pat Some Slack...

...this is why the ADN is developing it's web presence. You are right, of course, because print media has different standards/liabilities.

Note that you are responsing to a web posting by the Daily News.

PeaceOut.

September 21, 2007 - 9:53am | niklake

the plus side

The Daily News's web presence has changed markedly for the better since last spring. Although I then suggested some of the changes which have been implemented - like being able to comment at the bottom of SOME articles, that change may have been in progress without my input.

But, when it comes to doing real digging on the Stevens and Young cases, comparing what the paper has printed to what a lot of reporters there and other places know, the paper has failed utterly and fully, and deserves to be renamed the Ted Stevens Warehouse of Moldy Stenography upon the indictment of St. Ted. There will be some spare "Ted Stevens" signage around town soon that the ADN will be able to pick up real cheap.

Re Don Young - if you get on the phone right now and ask any of the reporters who have been covering him at the ADN who Jeff Randahl is, I'll bet none will know. Maybe they'll know by noon...

September 21, 2007 - 10:37am | BravoSierra

Jeff who?

Maybe ask them who Jeff Trandahl is....

September 21, 2007 - 12:29pm | niklake

Randall who?

Yeah, that's the ticket - Randall Trandahl...

6 September 20, 2007 - 9:15pm | dirtytrixie

ABC Radio News

Just ran the Stevens story, they gave it about 30 seconds which is an eternity in rip N' read radio news.

SH - I don't know if this is news to you or not, here are some links to some information regarding a deepwater LNG facility being proposed offshore from Los Angeles.

Oxnard

Santa Monica

EIS/EIR Public Comments

September 20, 2007 - 9:24pm | heyworth

trixie

thanks!

we are in contact with each one.
following each one.
there are 4 proposed in California.

one is going to go it appears.
another is likely to go.

one in Oregon looks really good.
and a second is likely there too.

3 in B.C.

2 in Mexico.

we have plenty of LNG markets/regas terminals now.
was never a doubt.

i sincerly appreciate you trying to help the cause!

if you find other good stuff....let me know?

what a diff positive input makes for us all.

September 21, 2007 - 10:26am | rfn

Wouldn't it be nice....

if The First National Church of Global Warming has it right and there'll soon be an ice-free, all year port for North Slope oil and gas?

What would be likely to produce more profitability (for all parties):

1. A gas pipeline to one primary destination?

2. An LNG facility near the wells and a fleet of tankers that could take the product anywhere in the world where demand was highest?

Of course with the way The U.S. is headed, allowing other nations to stake claims to The Arctic, we might have to take into account paying tolls to use the hoped-for ice-free passage......

September 20, 2007 - 9:46pm | tlamb775

Positive Input

http://www.newsregister.com/news/story.cfm?story_no=226282

FERC gets earful at pipe hearing

Cheers Scott can I still refer to you as part of the LNG crowd?

September 20, 2007 - 10:24pm | heyworth

Always

Of course.

And the spur line crowd.

And the bullet line crowd.

And the W. Coast Regas crowd.

And the Propane crowd.

And the gas storage crowd.

And the gas generation crowd.

And the Petrochemical crowd.

And the Alaska hire crowd.

And the Alaska first crowd.

And, even the Canadian Line crowd........in 12 more years minimum.

But mostly in the 70%+ Alaskan in-State gas crowd.

Which crowd do you aspire too?

September 20, 2007 - 10:40pm | tlamb775

The

don't piss on my leg and tell me it's raining crowd.....

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=piss+on+my+leg%2C+and+tell+me+it's+raining

September 20, 2007 - 10:52pm | heyworth

sure......

why not?

and hail
and snow
and damnation too.

5 September 20, 2007 - 8:59pm | tlamb775

Nice cover

http://community.adn.com/adn/node/109568#comment-43027

"...As you can tell, I don't find this AP story to be a model of good journalism. We have seen mistakes in other AP stories, by other AP reporters, on the corruption investigations that make us skeptical of their reporting on this topic."

Pat Dougherty."

Please please save us from the poor journalism.....

http://community.adn.com/adn/node/109568#comment-43091

"...Any bets on if A.P. had said that there was evidence uncovered that implicated Stevens, the editors at the ADN would be all over it?"

Today from you guys:

"...We are drawing attention to that story here because we don’t think readers of the Daily News should be the only ones in the country to not know about it."

The AP story in the past: did you even have it on adn.com?

And why no mention of the investigation on Hsu?

Here save you the trouble:

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/20/us/politics/20cnd-hsu.html?em&ex=1190433600&en=da769a8caa9e86da&ei=5087%0A

Democratic Fund-Raiser Is Accused of Ponzi Scheme

Don't want ADN readers to be the only ones in the country left out.

And to offer more balance:

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2007/09/20/MNTLS9GTF.DTL

Environmental groups petition U.S. to regulate air fresheners

4 September 20, 2007 - 8:27pm | Stumpy1

Corruption and the abject failure of Alaska media

How to deal with anonymous sources?

Let the readers decide.

Tell your readers the sources are anonymous, and then let your readers determine how credible the story is.

How sad that Alaska media could not investigate the same information that Ray Metcalf was providing the media as well as the FBI.

The unwritten story in the massive, massive corruption in Alaska is just how pathetic the major media outlets in Alaska have been in using hard hitting investigative journalism to expose this criminal behavior.

Only now, after the fact, is this subject getting the attention it deserves.

But hey, what can we expect, the ADN was a major recipient of VECO money. Better to take that money out of Alaska than to hire the reporters needed to do investigative journalism, eh?

I wonder how much money the ADN made off of the half page VECO ad (editorial) that ran in the ADN for most of the last twenty years...

And how much ad revenue has the ADN received from Big Oil over the last 20 years?

Maybe that would be a good story for Kyle to write. Bet Pat wouldn't allow it though.

September 21, 2007 - 11:25am | desaerica

The Anchorage Daily Snooze

The Anchorage Daily Snooze was joined at the hip with those VECO numbskulls. The "Voice of the Times", indeed. It should be changed to the Voice of the Crimes. ADN gave the impression that they supported VECO et al.This is sickening. I wonder if a boycott of the snooze would be in order. If ten percent of their readers did that, it would take them two years to recover if at all. That idiot Rick Rydel keeps asking "Why are people who care about Alaska being unfairly characterized?" Is that what the court papers read on those federal criminal indictments - that they (Kott, Stevens, Kohring, etc.) care about Alaska? I wonder how Rydel feels now after attending Baby Bush's inaugural ball and is still singing the praises of those who brought shame and embarassment to all Alaskans.

September 21, 2007 - 12:15pm | michael_cathy

Voice of the "Crimes"

LOL - nice one.

3 September 20, 2007 - 7:26pm | Natalie_0

Smart move on ADN

I think they're right not to make emphasis on the issue because of un-named sources from the AP. ADN cannot protect themselves unless they can verify their information. But CNN just broadcasted on TV (7:20 p.m. Alaska time) on the Alaska corruption investigations, particularly about VECO helping with Stevens home remodeling and now the "secretly taped phone conversations between Allen and Ted Stevens.

2 September 20, 2007 - 7:21pm | rfn

I just gotta ask.....

Seems like the gist of the material is contained in the post above.

Is this somehow "not publishing"?

September 21, 2007 - 12:20pm | michael_cathy

it depends ...

on the ADN's definition of what "is" is :)

Editor: did we publish it?

Lackey: well, its in the paper

Editor: but we didn't publish it?

Lackey: right sir.

FBI SURVELLIENCE VIDEO 4930347573 09/20/07 015:05

1 September 20, 2007 - 7:00pm | dirtytrixie

In Its Place

Perhaps you can run a story on Jim Bowles and Bill Allen's meeting in room 604.

You've posted the conversation, how on earth can the ADN not consider this development news worthy ?

Could it be those full page ads ?

And KTUU ?

Those 60 second spots during the Snoozehour(r) aren't cheap either, KTUU and ADN are screwing the pooch on this one.

September 20, 2007 - 7:46pm | akallegro

point of clarification

The conversation was over the phone, not in room 604.

That being said I also find it bizarre that it is not on the front page and that John Tracy did not interview Bowles tonight, not even a word.

I applaud the fact that Kyle put it on the blog but even the quote in the blog does not do the conversation justice.

One must listen to the whole thing to grasp the importance that conversation confirms.

The oil companies not only where aware of VECO's activities it appears they helped coordinate it.

They also sat down the Murkowski administration and instructed them on how they would and would not proceed.

Although one has an inclination that things like that happen up here it is quite chilling to hear such a blatant example.

Bowles to Allen regarding Murkowski's chief of staff Jim Clark:

"We've talked with Clark several times, we've told him don't push through 22.5. Thats not what we want to see as an outcome so if he's doing that he's doing it against conversations we've had."

The only thing more chilling is the deafening silence of the local media.

September 21, 2007 - 12:01pm | zinger

Frank

Sad thing is Frank and all of his won't pay for what they've done. Our media can't even get an interview with the ex-governor.

September 20, 2007 - 8:21pm | dirtytrixie

Agreed

And thank you for the point of clarification.

This is essentially the smoking gun that proves beyond a doubt that Allen was just another puppet on a string doing the bidding of his corporate masters, and not a drop of ink spilled over this.

BTW, I'd be curious to know what agency handles CP's account, I'd be floored if it were Northwest Strategies.

And how about the relative silence over Conoco/Phillips handBob McManus' cameo in 604 ?

September 21, 2007 - 11:07am | jerryn30

When Chuck Hamel Steps In

I'm waiting for any day when Chuck Hamel steps in with his evidence of Big Oil's part in this. When the Feds get done with the small fish this is REALLY going to get interesting.

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