…with Liberty and Justice for all.

 

You want to wrap yourself in the American flag and claim the mantle of patriotism? Fine. But patriotism means something when you defend, not destroy, the foundations of liberty. And in the case of Sarah Vance, the record shows she is doing the exact opposite: using her office, her posture, her rhetoric to bully, intimidate, and undermine the First Amendment.

The case of the censored newsroom

Let’s start with the recent scandal: four journalists at the Homer News, Peninsula Clarion, and Juneau Empire resigned en masse, citing direct interference from media ownership after Vance pressed them to edit or remove coverage of a vigil for Charlie Kirk. 

Here’s what happened, in simple terms:

• Reporter Chloe Pleznac wrote a story that described Kirk as a “far-right political activist and Christian-Nationalist icon” and discussed his controversial views.  
• Vance publicly sent a letter to Carpenter Media (the parent company) on state legislative letterhead, accusing the coverage of “hate-baiting” and demanding “corrective action.” She warned of consequences — “financial as well as reputational.”  
• Under pressure, the paper removed the original version, edited and re-posted it (with the “controversial” parts stripped, the byline removed) — without informing the reporter or marking the edits.  
• The resigning staff said the move “destroys the credibility the public has placed in us” and that “willingness to acquiesce to a public official’s editorial demands … is a betrayal … of the company’s integrity as a purveyor of news.”  
• One former editor called it “government intimidation of a free press” and explicitly said Vance “crossed the line.”  

That is not vigorous public discourse. That is coercion. That is using the power, prestige, and authority of an elected office to terrorize a newsroom into silence.

Do not pretend this was about “balance” or “correcting bias.” If Vance wanted balance, she could submit her own op-eds, engage in debate, point out factual errors. Instead, she demanded suppression. She threatened financial blowback. She weaponized her office. That is antithetical to every tenet of a free press.

The student-humiliation video

This is not the first time Vance has shown her contempt for democratic voices — especially the young.

In 2019, during her first term, Homer High School students organized a letter campaign: they wrote to her, expressing concern about proposed education cuts, extracurriculars, funding threats. 

Vance responded by posting a video in which she singled out the students for not addressing her by her proper title. She scolded them for failing to call her “Representative Vance,” complained that “none of them have addressed me as ‘Representative’ or ‘Representative Vance’ — not a one,” and then went on a condescending lecture about how they should learn proper decorum in English class or math class. 

She later removed the video and issued an apology, claiming she didn’t mean to devalue them. 

But the damage was done. She publicly humiliated high schoolers for speaking out — students of her own district, no less — and treated civic engagement as a discipline problem. That is disgraceful, paternalistic, and frankly unfit for someone who claims to represent a community.

The contradiction: Patriotism as a mask

Let’s be crystal clear: demanding respect via title, threatening financial retaliation on a newspaper, chastising students — none of that is patriotic. In fact, it’s symptomatic of authoritarian impulses masquerading behind American symbols.

She wraps herself in flags and “patriotic” rhetoric, but in practice she undermines:

• Freedom of the press — demanding deletions, edits, and silencing through official channels.
• Freedom of speech — mocking and censoring dissenting voices, especially youth.
• Civic trust — substituting intimidation for dialogue, coercion for accountability.

If your patriotism is conditional — insisting others show you respect before you’ll tolerate their voice — then it’s not patriotism at all. It’s power dressed up as virtue.

Final word

Sarah Vance’s latest move isn’t just bad governance. It’s a red flag for any democracy: an elected representative demanding deletions of coverage, threatening financial consequences, and then celebrating the revisions. And this comes on the heels of a history in which she publicly ridiculed young constituents for having the temerity to contact her.

If we are serious about democracy, we must call this what it is: a betrayal of the First Amendment, an abuse of authority, and a coward’s tactic disguised in patriotic trappings.