Interior Alaska News

A recent editorial by the News-Miner has drawn a response from Senator Dan Sullivan, who claims the publication missed critical facts in its account of a flag incident at Denali National Park. Sullivan's office was contacted by a constituent working on a construction project in the park, who reported being directed to remove an American flag from his vehicle. The senator wrote to the U.S. Park Service Director seeking an investigation into the matter.

Sullivan engaged in direct communication with the park service director on May 25 and 26. According to Sullivan, it was suggested that the issue might have stemmed from contractual obligations with a federal agency. He encouraged that Alaskans planning to visit the park with flags should be allowed to do so without hindrance.

The National Park Service (NPS) initially released a statement denying involvement, asserting that "at no time did an NPS official seek to ban or limit the flag." However, five days later, they acknowledged that an NPS official had indeed notified the Federal Highway Administration about a complaint regarding the flag and asked if there was "an appropriate way" to request its removal.

Sullivan disagrees with accusations of spreading misinformation, emphasizing that his letter contained no inaccuracies and criticizing the NPS for their initial false statements. He expressed concern over what he perceives as ongoing issues between Alaskans and federal agencies managing land laws.

The editorial also labeled Sullivan as a "senator who likes to bang the outrage drum," which he refuted by stating his commitment to defending state and constituent rights. Furthermore, Sullivan criticized News-Miner for not reaching out to verify facts before publishing their editorial.

He concluded by urging News-Miner to uphold its tradition of thorough fact-checking in future editorials.