Inside Opinion

If you have questions about how the Daily News makes editorial decisions, this blog has the answers. Editorial page editor Matt Zencey and writers Frank Gerjevic and Rosemary Shinohara will discuss what they're working on, answer questions and ask your perspective on issues facing Alaska.


Contributors

Matt Zencey

Matt Zencey joined the Daily News as an editorial writer in 1985 and was named editorial page editor in May 2007. He has won several. "Best editorial writing" awards from the Alaska Press Club and was a Nieman Fellow in Journalism at Harvard University. He lives on the west side of Anchorage, where he enjoys the best weather in town and easy access to the Coastal Trail. E-mail Matt at mzencey@adn.com

Frank Gerjevic

Frank Gerjevic has worked at the Daily News since 1978, where he's been sports editor, copy editor, reporter and columnist. He's been an editorial writer since 1998. He began his newspaper career with the Anchorage Times in 1975. E-mail Frank at fgerjevic@adn.com

Rosemary Shinohara

Rosemary Shinohara is an editorial writer who has lived most of her life in Alaska. She has spent most of her career as a reporter or editor at the Daily News. She covered construction of the Alaska oil pipeline, the Legislature, schools and urban affairs. She has also been an editor for NPR's All Things Considered, and has written for the Associated Press. E-mail Rosemary at rshinohara.com

Archive

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Sarcasm? Hah! A non-fan writes in.... - 5/9/2008 11:48 am

Who's accountable for ADN editorials? - 5/7/2008 11:14 am

Talk radio: Dittoheads vs liberals - 5/7/2008 11:01 am

More info and commentary on John McCain's health care 'plan' - 5/1/2008 6:29 pm

Join the dialogue on race and diversity - 4/30/2008 4:44 pm

How can our community as a whole combat prejudice and discrimination? - 4/30/2008 4:42 pm

What can an individual do about prejudice? - 4/30/2008 4:39 pm

Prejudice here - getting better or worse? - 4/30/2008 4:37 pm

Prejudice and discrimination: How are we doing in Anchorage? - 4/30/2008 4:36 pm

Not-so elevated discourse - 4/28/2008 4:20 pm

Elevated discourse - 4/28/2008 10:44 am

Yin and Yang - 4/25/2008 6:00 pm

UAA vs UAF - 4/24/2008 3:59 pm

Arctic Power demands retraction re Liddy - 4/23/2008 6:04 pm

Airport expansion vs. Kincaid trails - 4/23/2008 10:20 am

About the First Amendment - 4/23/2008 9:52 am

Irwin rips Exxon, partners on Point Thomson - 4/22/2008 5:25 pm

Tesche heads into the sunset - 4/22/2008 4:52 pm

Good words from Leonard Pitts - 4/22/2008 3:25 pm

Outside opinion invasion - 4/21/2008 5:26 pm

Denali: Not just a mountain anymore - 4/11/2008 1:39 pm

full archive »

Where's Exxon?

Posted by Matt Zencey, editorial page editor

Posted: April 9, 2008 - 9:14 am

Exxon hasn't joined Conoco and BP in their new venture to pursue a North Slope gas line. Is Exxon's absence a bad sign that means Alaskans should be skeptical about prospects for a gas line?

Maybe just the opposite.

If Conoco and BP's announcement were just a fig leaf - to siphon off support from Transcanada's proposal, for example, or to deter the state from taking back the Point Thomson gas leases -- Exxon would have no problem signing on.

Exxon's absence means Conoco and BP plan something more serious than just a PR action or a political gambit. Their plan is headed somewhere Exxon isn't sure it wants to go.

And that is encouraging news for Alaskans.


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  3     April 13, 2008 - 9:21am | TheSdog

Zencey

Exxon is arrogant and knows the TC proposal is going nowhere. They have no need to do anything but sit back and watch us self-destruct.

BP and C-P actually care what the public perception of them is. They offered this so that they will not be perceived as uncooperative as AGIA and the TC proposal go down in flames.

It may feel good to believe they actually care but they do not.

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  April 13, 2008 - 11:16am | rfn

Care to resolve

the conflict inherent in the last two paragraphs?

One says BP and C-P actually care.

The other says they do not.

No question concerning Exxon, however.

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  April 13, 2008 - 4:38pm | TheSdog

Easy

They only care about what you think as it affects their ability to make money.

They really do not care about you.

Think, rfn, think.

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  2     April 9, 2008 - 9:13pm | este

What do you do when you owe a whole state?

They are hiding, and for good reason. They have decided to show their contempt for Alaska and Alaskans, and for the federal courts, and for acting responsibly. They blame Mr. Hazelwood as if he was some interloper who just happened to stumble on board the ship. They are part of the same crowd who are running our oil line at half capacity. They know that we think of them as lower than a politician. And that's pretty low, especially now. So of course they don't want high visibility in anything people might care about. They simply don't care. They're busy counting their billions and laughing all the way to the bank. How much have they spent trying to avoid paying their court-ordered restitution to Alaska? Their character is showing through quite clearly no matter how they think they are getting away with it. Any major project with them involved would have to counteract their drag factor. So it is a good thing they are not involved in these projects.

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  1     April 9, 2008 - 10:15am | rfn

Where's Exxon?

If you were setting out to open a bank and one of your partners were Willie Sutton, would you want that fact in the press releases?

Or would you wait until the bank had opened and taken millions in deposits before disclosing.....

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