Reporter Kyle Hopkins: Revealing the human cost of broken safety and deferred justice in rural Alaska

Many programs on Justice Alaska focus on explaining Alaska’s judicial system from the inside, from the perspective of judges, prosecutors and defense attorneys, as well as participants in therapeutic courts and administrators within the Department of Corrections.

Kyle Hopkins, in the ADN newsroom after learning “Lawless” was awarded a Pulitzer Prize for Public Service. (Alaska Public Media/Julia O’Malley)

Today’s program is a look from the outside. A team of reporters from the Anchorage Daily News and ProPublica, a nonprofit newsroom that collaborates with local reporting teams on investigative projects, produced two series, “Lawless” and “Unheard.” They tell stories of a broken public safety system in rural Alaska, where one in three communities has no local law enforcement. The result: tragic stories of lives lost, damaged survivors, communities essentially abandoned by the state. ADN reporter Kyle Hopkins led the effort; “Lawless” was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service in 2020.

Kyle joins us today to explain the depth and process of the investigative project, including reporting obstacles and how reporting evolved as the team learned more. And what’s next? As always, your questions and comments are welcome. Join us.

HOST: Kathleen McCoy and Elaine Andrews

GUEST:

• Kyle Hopkins, Alaska journalist

LINKS:

• “Lawless: Sexual Violence in Alaska”, series compilation, Anchorage Daily News website
• “Lawless: Sexual Violence in Alaska”, series compilation on the ProPublica website
• Pulitzer announcement, website

PARTICIPATE:

• Call 550-8433 (Anchorage) or 1-888-353-5752 (statewide) during the live broadcast (10-11 a.m.).
• Send e-mail to [email protected] before, during or after the live broadcast (E-mails may be read on air).
• Post your comment or question below (Comments may be read on air).
• LIVE: Monday, March 1, 2021 at 10 a.m
• RE-AIR: Monday, March 1, 2021 at 8 p.m.
• PODCAST: On this page after the show