Sen. Lisa Murkowski's Controversial Hiring of Alleged Journalist As Communications Director

Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski – R, has hired former CBS 11 lead political reporter and anchor, Matthew Felling, as her Communications Director.


U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska has announced Alaskan broadcast journalist Matthew Felling as her new Communications Director.

Felling comes to Sen. Murkowski’s office after being lead political reporter and anchor for CBS 11 News Anchorage. He joined CBS 11 News after a decade of news reporting, commentary and analysis in Washington, D.C — becoming the only TV reporter on the Washington Post’s “Best State-Based Political Reporter” list.

What the article doesn’t say is that CBS 11 is actually KTVA. As reported by both Big Journalism and Big Government back on October 30, 2010, several members of KTVA staff were caught conspiring against Murkowski opponent Joe Miller in a saved voice mail message to Miller campaign spokesperson, Randy DeSoto.

Given that Felling seems to have followed Murkowski from DC to Alaska and now back, again, he almost looks as much like a traveling companion, as he does a journalist and now new employee. Furthermore, the move would not have been possible had Murkowski not won the election. Given Felling’s role at KTVA and that two KTVA employees were fired as a result of the October incident, the ethics issues here are glaring. It’s fair to ask if Felling isn’t nowbeing rewarded for helping to steer CBS 11’s coverage Murkowski’s way during the November election.

Anchorage CBS Affiliate Caught on Voicemail Conspiring Against Alaska’s GOP Senate Candidate

The following voice mail message was inadvertently left on the cell phone of Joe Miller campaign spokesperson Randy DeSoto.

The voices are believed to be those of the news director for CBS Anchorage affiliate KTVA, along with assignment editor Nick McDermott, and other reporters, openly discussing creating, if not fabricating, two stories about Republican nominee for U.S. Senate, Joe Miller.

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