‘Alaska Daily’ Shines A Light On The Plight Of Local Journalism And The Topic Of Missing And Murdered Indigenous Women

Tom McCarthy had never been to Alaska when he decided to create a show set in the state.

But a crisis in that area inspired him to tell a story that he feels isn’t getting enough notice.

So, he created the one hour drama, Alaska Daily.

The series follows award‑winning investigative journalist Eileen Fitzgerald, who leaves New York to join The Daily Alaskan in Anchorage, where she embarks on a personal and professional journey of redemption. Fitzgerald is played by two-time Academy Award winner Hilary Swank.

McCarthy, who wrote and directed the Academy Award‑winning film Spotlight, about sexual abuse in the Catholic Church, has crafted Alaska Daily to shine a light on the issue of missing and murdered Indigenous women (MMIW).

He explains, saying, “One of the reasons I decided to set the show in Anchorage was a piece of reporting by Kyle Hopkins, who wrote a series in conjunction with the Anchorage Daily News and ProPublica, that took a hard look at the missing and murdered persons crisis. It was a terrific opportunity to put such an important topic onto mainstream TV and maybe start a conversation with the “Lower 48” specifically, as the Alaskans like to refer to us, on this topic. It just hasn’t received nearly enough attention.”

McCarthy says that because of Hopkins’ reporting, he traveled to Alaska for the first time and met with the newsroom staff of Anchorage Daily News.

But, he wants to be clear that, “The Daily Alaskan [featured on the series] is not the Anchorage Daily News. They are very different papers, very different people that inhabit them. But we looked to the [Anchorage Daily News for] inspiration. I have a tremendous respect for the entire staff there. They’re just really top‑rate people and reporters.”

This is precisely what McCarthy wanted to highlight in the series — the significance of local reporting.

He says, “Local journalism is really, really struggling. The numbers of these papers have just not only dried up but disappeared over the last 10 years. It’s staggering and terrifying.”

Expanding the thought, McCarthy adds, “I wanted to drill down on why these news deserts are evolving across our country, where there’s no more local journalists or local papers. [It’s] really detrimental, not just to a democracy and politics but to the communities that they represent. I feel like as people are getting funneled off into online sites and news sites, we’re losing the ability to have these conversations locally.”

McCarthy points out that at the Anchorage Daily News, the group of editors and reporters are covering a state that’s two and half times the size of Texas. “That’s incredibly impressive. I wanted the American people to understand that and why it’s worth supporting journalists and the work they do.”

Touching on more issues facing journalists, McCarthy remarks, “I felt it’s a moment in time I really need to understand not only the work that journalists do, but who they are and what drives them, what makes them tick, and why is their work so important not just to our communities and our country but the world at large.

He continues, “We’ve seen recurring violence against reporters, that’s come after years and years of really targeted and systemic demonization and dehumanization of these people in an attempt for a power grab. So, I thought, ‘let’s try to open this up and really understand these people and show not just how the sausage gets made but how they see everything in their lives through the lens of their craft and their passion.’”

Digging into why he chose the topic of MMIW as the series centerpiece, McCarthy says, “[A character in the show says,] ‘It’s been overlooked for far too long.’ [That’s] part of the reason I wanted to do this. I’m like, ‘God, why aren’t we having this conversation? This is a tragedy that’s unfolding right before our eyes, and we can just do better. Not just as a community or a state, but as a country. I think it’s worth us as a creative community taking it on and trying to give voice to it.’”

He says that for everyone on his team, ‘it’s been an incredible learning experience.’

“It’s driven by — in large part — two Alaska native writers [on staff] who have taken great pains to really educate us on what we have to know, but a lot of it’s also been fueled by some amazing organizations we worked with out of Alaska. and our own research. Just like good reporters, we’re trying to get it right.”

Educating himself about the topic is something McCarthy actually enjoys. “For me, as a writer, as a creator, as a storyteller, it’s one of the best parts of my job. It’s like I get paid to go try to learn, then try to bring people together to tell a story in the right way.”

Swank signed to play the lead in Alaska Daily because she says that after McCarthy told her the main storyline she realized, “It’s material that matters, and it seemed like a great opportunity to be able to really dig deep into those stories and dig deep into characters and their backgrounds.”

She adds that she was drawn to the role because, ‘Eileen Fitzgerald is a truth seeker. She wants to make sure that justice is done.”

In addition, Swank gushes, “I love people who persevere through adversity. I love outsiders. I love the underdog, and I love what makes us all one person. At the heart of these stories, everyone wants to be seen.”

And, she feels strongly that, “People don’t want to be lied to anymore. People don’t want all the systemic stuff that we’re seeing come out. It’s horrifying, but it’s also a blessing because we’re able to start doing something about it.”

Swank says that it was an extra on set who really drove home for her the importance of the narrative being highlighted on Alaska Daily. “We had a day player last week who said, ‘My mom went missing.’ [That shows that] this is happening. It’s not just something that we’re telling.”

Peter Elkoff, showrunner and executive producer of the series, adds, “We’ve tried to tell this story in a respectful and not sensational way, [asking], ‘why is the system broken? Why is the whole operation, particularly in Alaska, failing Indigenous women?’ So, we tried not to turn it into a murder mystery, [because] we’re talking about a much bigger picture of a broken system.”

Telling this particular story has taken a toll on those involved, reveals McCarthy as he says, “It’s been incredibly challenging. It’s incredibly emotional. It’s rich material, but it’s also dark. There is a lot of pain and suffering.”

But, it will all be worth it, he says, if people take away that, “regardless of what side of the aisle they’re on, in most cases, journalists are hard‑working, overworked and underpaid and well‑meaning members of their community. We only just want to put the facts on the page so people can make their own decisions. [Journalists] are not there to force decisions, they’re there to supply information and do so as artfully and directly as possible.”

In addition to this, he offers, “We understand that our job [with this series] is to entertain, but you can dig into material that really has value and meaning and gives us a chance to shine a spotlight on something and say, ‘Hey, let’s pay attention to this everybody.’”

‘Alaska Daily’ airs Thursdays at 10/9c on ABC, and is available for streaming on Hulu.