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The publications in Alaska lost significant staffing after the owners made changes to an article that had drawn criticism from a Republican state lawmaker.

The Peninsula Clarion office building in Kenai, Alaska.Credit...Google

Oct. 3, 2025, 4:04 p.m. ET

Several journalists resigned this week from three newspapers in Alaska after the publications’ corporate owner made significant edits to an article about Charlie Kirk’s death, appearing to yield to pressure from a Republican state lawmaker who had criticized the coverage.

The four journalists, who worked for The Homer News, The Peninsula Clarion and The Juneau Empire, wrote in a joint resignation letter on Monday that they were never consulted about the edits, made by the Alabama-based Carpenter Media Group.

“We believe this destroys the credibility the public has placed in us as reporters and editors,” the journalists wrote. “The willingness to acquiesce to a public official’s editorial demands and have conversations with her about the direction of our coverage is a betrayal not just of the journalists who work for Carpenter Media, but of the company’s integrity as a purveyor of news.”

The letter was signed by Chloe Pleznac, the Homer News reporter who wrote the article; Erin Thompson, the regional editor of the three newspapers and the one who approved the story; Jeff Helminiak, a sports and features editor for The Peninsula Clarion; and Jake Dye, a reporter for the same publication.

The resignations, which they said would take effect on Oct. 13, were accepted immediately and left two of the newspapers with one reporter each, and a third without any journalists on staff, they said.

The article at the center of the revolt chronicled a Sept. 17 vigil in Homer, Alaska, for Mr. Kirk, the Turning Point USA founder and a right-wing ally of President Trump’s who was fatally shot while speaking at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10. The story ran online on Sept. 23 and in print on Sept. 25 in The Homer News, according to Ms. Pleznac.

Its description in the second paragraph of Mr. Kirk — whom the article called a “Christian-Nationalist icon” and defender of “often racist and controversial views” — had struck a nerve with one of the vigil’s co-organizers.

In a letter to the corporate owners of the papers, Sarah Vance, a Republican state representative, assailed the coverage as “hate-baiting at its worst” and suggested that advertisers were planning to boycott the publications. Her criticism was not dissimilar to the political pressure other conservatives have exerted on media companies to punish those whose commentary about Mr. Kirk they deem objectionable, most notably the late-night host Jimmy Kimmel, who was temporarily taken off the air after remarks he made on his show in the wake of the shooting.

Soon after publication, something peculiar happened.

“The story just disappeared,” Ms. Thompson, 44, said in an interview on Thursday. “We were all flabbergasted.”

Several hours later, the story was reposted online, with some significant changes to its structure and description of Mr. Kirk, who was 31 years old and played an instrumental role in Mr. Trump’s return to the White House.

In the revised version, the second paragraph appeared about 12 paragraphs into the article stating that Mr. Kirk’s views “have been tied by many to a rise in Christian nationalism across the U.S.” In describing Mr. Kirk’s frequent visits to college campuses, the article said that he had regularly defended his criticism of the Civil Rights Act and Martin Luther King Jr., as well as his opposition to gun control and affirmative action.

Gone from the article was a line stating that Mr. Kirk had perpetuated “conspiracy theories, including Covid-19 and climate misinformation, as well as replacement theory,” which posits that Jews are trying to replace white Americans with nonwhite immigrants.

In a statement on Thursday, Carpenter Media Group, which is based in Tuscaloosa, Ala., and owns more than 250 media properties, said that the journalists’ resignation letter had contained a number of inaccuracies. It did not specify what they were.

“CMG made the decision to edit a piece of content that fell well short of our standard and the standards of unbiased community journalism,” the company said. “We stand firmly by that decision. Our primary responsibility is to the communities we serve, and we will continue to ensure that our publications reflect fairness, accuracy, and respect for these communities.”

Ms. McBride said that news organizations need to be clear about what their standards are and have consistent policies in place when those are not being met.

She said that there were some similarities in the way the company that owns the papers had responded and Mr. Kimmel’s suspension.

The owner of the publications did “exactly what ABC did,” she said. “They capitulated.”

Ms. Pleznac, 25, who said she had worked in Alaskan public radio newsrooms since she was 18, referred to the resignation letter on Thursday when asked for comment..

The other two journalists who resigned did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Ms. Thompson said that one of her managers had told her the context about Mr. Kirk’s views was presented too high in the article. “They smoothed out the edges,” she said.

She said that initially she had not planned to resign, but could not “see a path forward to do my job in an honest and straightforward way, using my best judgment.”

Neil Vigdor covers breaking news for The Times, with a focus on politics.

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