How Alabama Power influences coverage

Miranda Green of Floodlight writes about how Alabama Power, a subsidiary of Southern Co., influences coverage in the state about its operations.

Green writes, “Coverage of the utility by the Birmingham Times, which was funded with money from Alabama Power’s charitable arm the Alabama Power Foundation, consists of reprinted stories from the News Center and the utility’s own press releases.

“The Birmingham Times executive editor, Barnett Wright, said the outlet’s coverage is limited due to its small staff and having to make hard editorial decisions on what to cover. ‘The Alabama Power Foundation had or has zero influence in the newsroom,’ Wright said in an email. ‘As the executive editor, I have never had any conversation with the Alabama Power Foundation about any article the Birmingham Times chooses to run or not run.’

“Alabama Power and its foundation did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

“Here is another example of news that readers of the Birmingham Times and the Alabama News Center do not see: when Alabama Power was granted three consecutive electric rate increases in 2022 – raising the average annual cost of electricity by $274 in 2023 – neither publication wrote about the rise, according to a search of their websites.”

Read more here.