How to Support Journalism Through the Alaska Press Club

Updated

The Alaska Press Club's site lists several concrete ways to support Alaska journalism, and the most direct one is to use its "Ways to support journalism" page, which is explicitly described as a work-in-progress list that accepts suggestions by email at [email protected]. Beyond that page, the site shows support taking three other forms: entering or backing the A-Mark Prize for Investigative Reporting in Alaska, defending editorial independence when it is violated, and participating in training programs such as the Community Reporting Cohort. The site also contains subscription-related keywords ("subscribe," "subscription"), but no pricing, payment platform, or signup link is shown in the available material, so whether any membership or subscription is paid, free, or currently open cannot be confirmed from this page alone.

The listed ways to support journalism

The "Ways to support journalism" section is the club's own starting point. Two things are clear from the page:

  • It is a work in progress, not a finished directory.
  • It invites suggestions by email to [email protected].

That means the practical first step is to open that section, see what is currently listed, and — if something is missing — send a suggestion to the address above. The page does not reproduce the full list in the excerpt, so treat the email route as the reliable action rather than assuming a specific option is or isn't there.

Back investigative reporting: the A-Mark Prize

The clearest named program tied to supporting journalism is the A-Mark Prize for Investigative Reporting in Alaska, created by the Alaska Press Club and the A-Mark Foundation. The site frames investigative work in Alaska as "a long game" — hours of public records requests, months of reporting, and persistence — and describes the prize as a way "to recognize and support that work."

If your goal is to support journalism rather than practice it, this is the most specific lever the page names: the prize exists to distribute support to investigative reporting. The page states entries are now being accepted, so the relevant action is to check the current entry details on the site rather than rely on secondhand summaries.

Defend editorial independence

Support is not only financial or programmatic. The site documents a case in which Carpenter Media Group removed an article from the Homer News website after Rep. Sarah Vance wrote a letter on state letterhead and on her official social media. The club's post, dated Oct. 13, 2025, describes this as a violation of professional and ethical journalism standards, and titles the item "Defending editorial independence."

Carpenter Media owns the Homer News, Peninsula Clarion, and Juneau Empire in Alaska. The takeaway for a reader who wants to support journalism: paying attention to, and speaking up about, editorial interference at Alaska outlets is treated by the club as a form of support. The page presents this as a news item and a stance, not as a step-by-step campaign, so the concrete action is to read the full post and follow whatever response the club outlines there.

Support through training and community reporting

Another route is participation in programs that build reporting capacity:

Program What it is Key detail from the page
Community Reporting Cohort A class using Anchorage as a "laboratory" for community-based reporting Semester begins Aug. 26, 2024; tuition reimbursement available; listed as JPC A194 (CRN 75397)
Student Showcase 2026 Presented by Alaska Teen Media; highlighted seven students' articles, short films, and newsletters Supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts
Conference sessions Recorded talks from the Alaska Press Club conference Examples: Andrea Bruce on making images in divided places (2022); Andrew Losowsky on social media and engagement (April 2022)

The Community Reporting Cohort is the most structured entry point: it focuses on Anchorage but states the methods "can be applied anywhere," and it notes tuition reimbursement. Because the listed start date (Aug. 26, 2024) is in the past, verify the current term before planning around it.

What the site does not tell you

Several things a supporter would normally want are absent from the available material, and it is worth being explicit about them:

  • No pricing or payment details. The site contains the words "subscribe" and "subscription," but no pricing links or payment platforms are shown. Do not assume membership is free or paid.
  • No login or signup flow is described. There is no evidence of an account requirement for the listed support options.
  • No complete support list. The "Ways to support journalism" page is self-described as incomplete.

Given that, the most reliable path is: read the "Ways to support journalism" page, check the A-Mark Prize entry page for current requirements, and email [email protected] with questions or suggestions. That email is the one contact channel the page provides for this purpose.