History
The newspaper was first published on November 2, 1912, as the Alaska Daily Empire. [2] It was founded by John Franklin Alexander Strong, who soon afterward become the second territorial governor of Alaska. [3] After Strong was appointed to office, the paper was edited by John Weir Troy, [4] who bought it in January 1914. He edited the Empire until he was also elected governor 1933. [5] Under Troy, the paper investigated the paper's founder and discovered Strong had lied about his background, including his education and military service. [6]
After Troy died in 1942, [5] the paper was published by his daughter Mrs. Helen Troy Monsen. [7] [8] Governor Ernest Gruening, State Treasurer Henry Roden and Highway Engineer Frank Metcalf sued the Empire for libel, seeking a total of $400,00 in damages, over a 1952 article accusing them of improperly allocating state funds for the Chilkoot ferry in violation of state law. [9] Monsen published an editorial fighting back against the clams and stated the lawsuit was in response to the Empire's coverage of the administration. [10]
In 1955, Monsen sold the paper to William Prescott Allen, publisher of The Montrose Press and the Laredo Morning Times. [8] Allen published columns on the libel lawsuit defending Monsen and allegedly made wagers over the case's outcome. [10] Allen later spend a night in jail in Texas for contempt of court for refusing to reveal sources in another story. [11] A jury ruled against the paper in the libel suit and fined them $15,003. The paper later lost its appeal. [10]
In 1960, Donrey Media Group bought the Empire, [12] who then sold it in 1969 to South Eastern Newspaper Corporation. [13] The company was later renamed to Morris Communications. [2] In September 2015, the paper laid off five employees — three people in the business office and two graphic designers. Several newspaper offices were also consolidated into one location in Anchorage. [14] In 2017, Morris sold its newspapers to GateHouse Media. [15] In 2018, GateHouse sold its Alaska papers to Sound Publications, a subsidiary of Black Press Media. [16] A staff photographer and a sports reporter were laid off in January 2020. [17]
On May 3, 2023, the Juneau Empire reduced its print frequency from five days a week to two. The paper has also shifted print production to a facility in Lakewood, Washington [18] and decreased subscription prices 15-25%. [19] The press, a Goss Community Offset originally installed in 1986, was dismantled and shipped to Seattle for storage. [3] In March 2024, Black Press was acquired by Carpenter Media Group. [20]
In June 2025, the paper's editor Mark Sabbatini resigned and the company said he would not be replaced. Instead, the Empire was to be edited and managed remotely from Kenai. [21] Sabbatini then launched a rival news site called the Juneau Independent. [22] Soon nearly all newsroom staff at the Empire left to work at the Independent. [23]
In September 2025, four staff members who worked for the Empire and its two sibling papers resigned after Carpenter Media changed an online article written about a vigil held for Charlie Kirk after Rep. Sarah Vance wrote a letter to the company complaining about how the Conservative activist was covered. [24] [25] [26]
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