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The Juneau Empire is a newspaper in Juneau, Alaska, United States. It publishes issues on Wednesdays and Saturdays.
After Troy died in 1942, the paper was published by his daughter Mrs. Helen Troy Monsen. Governor Ernest Gruening, State Treasurer Henry Roden and Highway Engineer Frank Metcalf sued the Empire for libel, seeking a total of $400,00 in damages, over a 1952 article accusing them of improperly allocating state funds for the Chilkoot ferry in violation of state law. Monsen published an editorial fighting back against the clams and stated the lawsuit was in response to the Empire
In 1955, Monsen sold the paper to William Prescott Allen, publisher of The Montrose Press and the Laredo Morning Times. Allen published columns on the libel lawsuit defending Monsen and allegedly made wagers over the case's outcome. Allen later spend a night in jail in Texas for contempt of court for refusing to reveal sources in another story. A jury ruled against the paper in the libel suit and fined them $15,003. The paper later lost its appeal.
In 1960, Donrey Media Group bought the Empire, and then sold it in 1969 to South Eastern Newspaper Corporation. The company was later renamed to Morris Communications. In September 2015, the paper laid off five employees three people in the business office and two graphic designers. Several newspaper offices were also consolidated into one location in Anchorage. In 2017, Morris sold its newspapers to GateHouse Media. In 2018, GateHouse sold its Alaska papers to Sound Publications, a subsidiary of Black Press Media. A staff photographer and a sports reporter were laid off in January 2020.
On May 3, 2023, the Juneau Empire reduced its print frequency from five days a week to two. The paper has also shifted print production to a facility in Lakewood, Washington and decreased subscription prices 15-25%. The press, a Goss Community Offset originally installed in 1986, was dismantled and shipped to Seattle for storage. In March 2024, Black Press was acquired by Carpenter Media Group.
In June 2025, the paper's editor Mark Sabbatini resigned and the company said he would not be replaced. Instead, the Empire was to be edited and managed remotely from Kenai. Sabbatini then launched a rival news site called the Juneau Independent. Soon nearly all newsroom staff at the Empire left to work at the Independent.
In September 2025, four staff members who worked for the Empire and its two sibling papers resigned after Carpenter Media changed an online article written about a vigil held for Charlie Kirk after Rep. Sarah Vance wrote a letter to the company complaining about how the Conservative activist was covered.
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