Decision to publish domestic violence story not an easy one

Today’s paper contains an account of domestic violence charges against Iditarod musher Travis Beals. These allegations were first brought to the Frontiersman’s attention in March, and the paper immediately began an investigation into the story.

During the course of that investigation, the newspaper learned that Mr. Beals had an extensive history of domestic violence accusations against him by a woman who also happens to be an Iditarod musher.

When we contacted Iditarod officials, they told us they were aware of one pending charge against Beals, but had no knowledge of what appears to be a long history of physical and emotional violence against the woman. Several mushers were also contacted for the story and despite an unwillingness to speak on the record, many stated that the abuse allegations were widely known within mushing circles.

However, due to concerns about the safety of Beals, who is currently undergoing court-ordered mental health treatment, and the victim, we held off printing the story for several weeks.

On Friday, independent journalist Craig Medred broke the story on his website, craigmedred.news, leaving us with little choice but to follow up.

We believe this story has major ramification for both the Iditarod and Alaska as a whole. Iditarod officials had an opportunity to speak out against abuse within their sport and they chose not to. Their reasons are only known to them, but whether it was incompetent investigation or a willful desire to keep the domestic violence charges out of the public eye, those officials failed to send a clear message that this type of behavior will not be tolerated in their sport.

We believe this was wrong, and that’s why we’ve chosen to publish the story.

When institutions with the ability to take corrective action have knowledge of wrongdoing, it’s their responsibility to do so. The Iditarod claims it was advised not to keep Beals out of the race because his most recent court case is still pending. However, that contradicts the race director’s public statements that he has the ability to kick anyone out of the race for any reason. The fact that abuse by one musher against another wasn’t enough to warrant any kind of public sanction by Iditarod officials is unacceptable.

We do not wish to see Mr. Beals banned from the race for life. Our sincere hope is that he receives the help he needs to overcome his violent tendencies, and that his victim receives the support she needs to overcome this horrific and trying ordeal.

We apologize to her for bringing this matter to light. We understand that by doing so, we could very well contribute to more personal anguish and suffering for she and Mr. Beals, and that’s not something we’re proud of.

However, the issue of domestic violence is too important to keep quiet about. Silence and denial are what allow domestic violence to run so rampant across Alaska, which leads the nation in several dubious categories related to violence against women.

Some may argue this situation would be best handled in private, and that Iditarod mushers shouldn’t be held to the same standard as, say, NFL football players. We disagree. Just like athletes in other sports, mushers receive sponsorships, prize money and endorsement deals due to their fame; to argue that they shouldn’t be held to the same standards as their counterparts in other professional sports is illogical, especially when the mushers themselves say they want to see Iditarod treated like other big-time sporting events.

We believe that the public has a right to know what’s going on behind the scenes of Alaska’s biggest sporting event, a nonprofit organization that curates a beloved and popular public image. Will this story tarnish that image? That seems likely. However, we feel that the only way Iditarod — and our state — can address this shameful issue is by bringing the ugliness of domestic violence into the light of day.