One town. Two newspapers.

A former reporter returns to the scene of one of the great newspaper battles in history.

It seems almost impossible in hindsight: a city smaller than modern-day Brownsville, TX, was the battleground for two daily newspapers vying for the soul of the largest state in America.

The "Great Alaska Newspaper War" is a tale of competition, hubris, and influence ... and of a titan and an underdog who unexpectedly switch places. It's a Shakespearean tragedy where the winner and the loser both lose in the end.

FILM MISSION

Print media is quickly becoming obsolete, the stuff of legend. Yet it is the foundation of all contemporary communications. This full-length film will be available to stream free for journalism schools, history museums and community organizations, as well as public broadcasting and streaming on demand.

PROJECT STATUS (4/1/2025)

Scott Lacy is actively editing a rough cut of the film in Durham, NC. This rough cut will dictate what kinds of additional media is required to complete the final cut (e.g., archival footage, photos, B-roll of Anchorage).

PROJECT STATUS (11/1/2024)

The Great Alaska Newspaper War is in production. Director Scott Lacy has been criss-crossing the country for the last 18 months, interviewing reporters from the Gulf coast to Alaska. Lacy spent five weeks in Alaska this summer, where he captured 21 on-camera interviews with reporters and observers from the '70s and '80s.