Perhaps some of you read the article in the ADN Monday about the reported flag incident involving a construction crew in Denali National Park. It stemmed from a report by the Alaska Watchman, described as a conservative news source, that stated someone on a bridge construction crew claimed they were told by the Denali park superintendent that workers must “stop flying the stars and stripes from their vehicles because it detracts from the park experience.”
This report stated that the person making this claim requested that it “not use his name” since he was actively working on the construction project.
Finally, the Watchman report stated that the worker said he was given this directive by Denali National Park Superintendent Brooke Merrell (who was described by the Watchman as someone who worked with “left-leaning environmentalist and social justice groups” prior to coming to Denali NP.) However, the Watchman apparently did nothing to corroborate or verify this claim before it published the report.
This unverified report was then widely circulated on social media, both in Alaska and nationally. Of primary interest to me was the response from our own Sen. Dan Sullivan, who fired off a letter to Superintendent Merrell stating the situation was “an outrage” and demanded an investigation. The letter stated that the American flag should be celebrated “not censored by federal government employees.”
This rush to judgment and condemnation by Sen.
Sullivan, according to the article, was based solely on a call from one of his constituents. Apparently, our Sen. Sullivan, like the Alaska Watchman, made no effort to verify or corroborate this claim made by a single person. However, the National Park Service did respond to Sullivan and categorically denied Superintendent Merrell or any other Park Service employee giving any such directive to anyone.
In this age of misinformation, we should all expect our elected representatives will take the time to make a reasonable effort to investigate and confirm a claim such as this — especially when it is based on the uncorroborated assertion of a single constituent — before they act on the claim, simply assuming it is true. Surely Sen. Sullivan, as a trained military officer, understands the need for confirmation and verification; we should expect nothing less of him as our senator. And we should demand answers from him for his rush to judgment in this case.
— Brad Owens
Anchorage
Have something on your mind? Send to letters@adn.com or click here to submit via any web browser. Letters under 200 words have the best chance of being published. Writers should disclose any personal or professional connections with the subjects of their letters. Letters are edited for accuracy, clarity and length.