Juneau Empire

The Juneau Empire is a newspaper in Juneau, Alaska, United States. It publishes issues on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

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] and 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]

• Official website
• Morris subsidiary profile of the Juneau Empire Archived 2012-02-05 at the Wayback Machine

58°19′39″N 134°28′4″W / 58.32750°N 134.46778°W / 58.32750; -134.46778