2026 Annual Meeting: Interconnected: The Evolving News Ecosystem in Alaska
View Rosey and Kortnie’s presentation here.
At our 2026 Annual Meeting, Alaska Common Ground hosted a conversation on the changing landscape of journalism and local news in Alaska. Members heard from Rosey Robards with the Alaska Press Club and Kortnie Horazdovsky with the Alaska Center for Excellence in Journalism, who discussed how news and media consumption habits are evolving, how the reporting workforce and ownership structure of news organizations are changing, and what Alaskans can do to help preserve a robust, fact-based news ecosystem across the state.
The discussion provided an opportunity to explore the realities of modern news gathering and the rapidly changing news cycle, while also addressing audience questions about how journalism is produced and delivered today. It also provided insight into the challenges and opportunities facing local news organizations as they adapt to technological, economic, and audience shifts.
We were also joined by Anchorage-based board members who contributed valuable perspectives from their own journalism careers, including Vicky Ho of the Anchorage Daily News and Alaska Press Club, Lori Townsend of Alaska Public Media and the Alaska Center for Excellence in Journalism, and Joaqlin Estus, recently retired from ICT News and a board member of the Alaska Center for Excellence in Journalism.
Learn more about Alaska News organizations:
Some of the studies or organizations referenced in the presentation:
- Society of Professional Journalists’ Code of Ethics
- Pew: How Americans View Journalists in the Digital Age
- Newslit.org – Families – This organization focuses on teachers but has a section for families on how to discuss media literacy with children and teens. (Valuable for all ages!)