Few people know that the Alaska Watchman was merely an idea for more than 10 years and would have remained so if my good friend and business partner, Jake Libbey, hadn’t decided to take a giant leap of faith with me in 2019.

Like many of you, we had grown increasingly frustrated with how Alaska’s biased, left-leaning legacy media wove their political and cultural preferences into supposedly “fair and balanced” reporting. We knew their stories were carefully crafted and edited to fit a narrow vision of reality – one that too often despised and undermined traditional conservative viewpoints.

We saw the need for a bold, unapologetic news outlet that could actively counter these anti-family, anti-life and anti-freedom narratives. But how do you build broad support for a news outlet that is going to take the gloves off to fight for our most fundamental rights and responsibilities? Who would support us? How many would join?

These questions gave us pause.

We knew the Alaska Watchman had to be a lightning rod. The challenges to our culture, faith and basic freedoms required that we focus on the immediate, winnable battles in our home state – those that were close enough at hand to make a real difference.

Because of that, we knew our supporters would be Alaskans who are aware of the cultural and political struggles we face – fellow warriors committed to defending parental rights and religious freedoms, upholding traditional values and the natural moral law, protecting preborn babies and the innocence of our children, strengthening families and faith communities and empowering Alaskans to defend their God-given rights and responsibilities.

The challenge has always been to find men and women who are willing to stick their necks out to keep this media outlet viable, either as private donors or paid advertisers. Without that, we simply don’t exist.

To be honest, we’ve pretty much barely stayed afloat since launching. We’re paying the monthly bills, but there’s nothing left over at the end of the month – no buffers, no emergency funds, no room for error. No one is getting rich, and that’s never been the goal.

Amidst these difficulties, we’ve published thousands of hard-hitting, impactful articles and columns that have made a real-world impact here in Alaska. Our coverage has forced elected officials and political leaders to address the concerns of conservative Alaskans.

Over the past six-plus years, our readership and online reach have grown every month and year-over-year. Well over a million visitors now visit the website annually, and nearly 25,000 readers follow us on Facebook alone.

About three or four times a year, however, we are forced to make an appeal to help sustain this operation, which includes my paycheck and the cost of updating, operating and securing a dynamic news website and multiple social media platforms that are filled with news from across Alaska.

If you’ve been in this fight with us, thank you! If you value our work but haven’t contributed yet, we urgently need your support.

We firmly believe that Alaska needs the Watchman to fully engage this ongoing fight for the heart and soul of our great state. If you agree, please consider linking arms with us by becoming a monthly supporter or one-time donor.

Sincerely,

Joel Davidson, Alaska Watchman Editor-in-Chief