Lori Townsend, APRN – Anchorage
Yesterday an Anchorage gathering at Central Middle school that was characterized as a public town hall meeting with Republican Senate candidate Joe Miller became the center of a media storm after the editor of the online news site Alaska Dispatch was handcuffed by security guards hired by Miller for the event. The guards from Drop Zone Security maintain the event was private and Alaska Dispatch editor Tony Hopfinger was trespassing and refused to leave. Hopfinger says he arrived about 20 minutes before the 2 p.m. start of the two-hour event and initially spoke to Mr. Miller in the men’s restroom. Hopfinger says he asked Miller why he would not be at the Senate debate scheduled for this evening in Anchorage.
Tony Hopfinger is the founder and editor of Alaska Dispatch. Before the Dispatch he was a reporter for Bloomberg News and Newsweek, the Anchorage Daily News and the Anchorage Press.
Joe Miller released a statement saying Hopfinger was a liberal blogger who was out of control at the event. Miller has refused numerous requests from APRN for comment.
Download Audio (MP3)
