Bill McAllister: A question of timing and bias
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For the last few months, former KTUU political reporter Bill McAllister had been a popular target for radio talk show hosts and callers alike for being too soft with his coverage on Governor Sarah Palin.
In June, McAllister announced he was leaving KTUU to take a job with the Palin administration as their communications director. Readers on this blog took me to task after I posted a blog about McAllister and wished him well in his new job.
"There will be no difference between what McAllister has been doing for the past two years and what he is doing now other than who is paying him to do it" one reader posted.
Another one said, "IMO Bill has proven himself to be nothing but a lap dog for Palin. He has failed over and over to ask her the "tough questions" you requested him to do of you. This new position is befitting for him, since he has demonstrated the ability to treat Palin with kid gloves.'
Maybe the critics were right. Just maybe there is something to the critics claim that McAllister was unreasonably soft on Palin.
As part of the recent freedom of information act release of emails from Palin assistant Frank Bailey's state computer, it looks as if McAllister could have been in line for a job as far back as the beginning of April.
On Sunday, April 6, Sheila Toomey printed a blurb in her Ear column that stated that McAllister was preparing to leave KTUU.
At 10:44am, McAllister sent an email to Bailey attaching a link to his KTUU blog where McAllister had just posted a blog disputing Toomey's claim he was leaving. "Just wanted to eliminate any possibility of looking presumptuous", McAllister told Bailey.
Ten minutes later, Bailey responded by telling McAllister "As soon as I read the ear this morning I thought 'dang, hope bill doesn't think I said aything on this! You brought clarity to people all over the State Bill. You're an awesome communicator", Bailey wrote.
Two days later McAllister sent an email to Bailey saying "Still haven't received anything from you, at either email account. FYI."
Bailey responded six minutes later; "Let me know if you finally received that from my personal account (last few words redacted)"
So was McAllister negotiating a job with the administration while he was still covering them as a reporter during the legislative session?
Click on the attached email and judge for yourself.
Bill McAllister's blog entry referenced in his email:
Sheila Toomey -- aka "The Ear" -- left messages for me this afternoon indicating that she is preparing an item, presumably for Sunday's Anchorage Daily News, saying that I have "given notice" at Channel 2.
The way it was presented in two voice mail messages, I should get back to her if there was anything wrong with that. Which seems backwards. I should call back, if I want to, to confirm something. I shouldn't have to call to prevent erroneous information from getting out.
I did call, but there was no answer, by either human or machine.
As I indicated in an e-mail to Sheila afterward, her description of what she was going to write is not strictly accurate. I have not set a date for departure from Channel 2.
But as my boss, colleagues at the station and a few people at the Capitol know, I would find it difficult to cover what's being billed as 60 days of gas line deliberations this spring and summer, mostly or entirely in Juneau, depending on who you talk to.
I went through this in summer 2006 with the ill-fated Murkowski special sessions on oil and gas issues, missing precious time with my family. It's hard to imagine doing that again just two years later. But there's nothing official yet on the next step.
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