With the recent layoffs at Alaska Dispatch News, the state’s largest newspaper, Western Alaska is losing an important storyteller.
Lisa Demer announced on Facebook Thursday that she will continue reporting for the paper, but will be relocating to Anchorage.
Demer moved to Bethel in 2014 as the Dispatch’s Western Alaska correspondent. In her three years here she traveled rural Alaska profiling ivory diving off St. Lawrence Island, investigating how permafrost thaw is crumbling rural infrastructure, chronicling the Bristol Bay Pebble Mine saga, and sharing the stories of our region across the state.
The change comes after a sweep of layoffs affecting every department of the newspaper, including one-third of the newsroom, after the outlet filed for bankruptcy protection and sold the newspaper to another company. A recent Dispatch article announced the changes saying, “the newspaper will try to focus more on local news and on Anchorage readers.”
From one news outlet and one journalist to another, Lisa, we’re going to miss you.
