Previously on Alaska Daily...
Complaints have surfaced.
- We need to walk back the story. - You do that, Rushmi, I walk.
Stanley. Why are you here?
Her name is Gloria Nanmac.
It's a story about how
the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women crisis
is being ignored.
Roz, I want to put you on a story with Eileen.
- Why not just give the whole story to me? - It's my story.
Do you know anything about Alaska?
Following the publication of your stories,
- Durkin was fired. - So was Barnett.
When you expose people, do you worry about blowback?
Hello, Eileen. Did you get my gift?
The next bullet you receive won't be in a box.
- Hey, Claire. - Hey, Dennis.
How's the blog?
Governor, great to see so many resources being employed
to find Henley Scott.
Can't put a price on life.
To that point, an Alaska Native woman's currently missing,
and the amount of money spent to find her
is less than your sushi lunch.
If it isn't my favorite pilot poet.
Any chance you're free tonight?
I gotta rain check.
My, uh, colleagues-- I promised them a drink.
- Good night, Eileen. - Night, Jamie.
Eileen.
The truth is, we're the ones being bullied
by the media.
That is what's happening in our public discourse.
Disagree with anything they say,
and you're labeled fascist, racist, homophobic.
- That's bullying. - Last one inside.
- Hey, guys, wait up for me! - They're using language
- like a cudgel... - Hurry up, Yuna!
...to get us to submit to their moral subjectivism.
Trust me, I know.
I used to work at the snowflake factory--
Good night, Jamie.
Eileen.
Who are you?
You know who I am.
Concerned Citizen.
Don't do this.
You left me no choice.
Please, God,
don't-- don't do this.
Give me your phone.
Get up.
Get up!
There are other people here.
There's no one here, Eileen.
It's just you and me.
Move.
Sit down.
You know, we have a night editor who comes in.
No one is getting inside this building.
If they do, you're dead.
I'm late. That's my friends.
They probably are wondering where I am.
Unlock it.
Slowly.
Whatcha need, Stanley?
So many things.
But I'll settle for another round for the team.
And a club soda for you? You got it.
I get that you don't like the way I do my job.
I'm an outsider.
I'd like to apologize, Mr.--
Mm. No names.
Okay. Concerned Citizen.
What can I do to make things right?
I told you to go back to New York.
You're still here.
I needed the job.
No one would hire me.
Why are you here?
Because you didn't listen to me.
No one does.
Ah!
And she hits the Redeemer. Triple 20.
How are you so good at this?
I practically lived here before I had kids.
Now, that Claire sounds fun.
That Claire was.
Ah! Dagnabbit!
Language, Bob.
You all right, Stanley?
There's a gunman in the newsroom.
He's taken Eileen hostage.
- What? - He thinks it's Concerned Citizen,
the guy who's been harassing her.
Who's he? Who are you talking to?
Gabriel's hiding in the Morgue.
- Oh, my God. - Concerned Citizen?
The one who sent the bullet to Eileen last month?
We should have contacted the police.
- We should call them now. - Won't that set him off?
I mean, it could.
We don't know what this guy's capable of.
We don't have a choice. Call them.
Agreed. I'll make the call.
Bob, call Pritchard.
Will do.
What's this for?
Your confession.
What am I confessing about?
How you spread lies and suppress the truth.
How you faithfully serve your corporate masters
while they destroy the backbone of our country.
You read The Eagle?
I do.
Dennis Gibson, he speaks the truth.
He understands what's really happening out there.
He has an opinion about what's happening,
but from what I've read, he doesn't deal in facts.
Ah. You're one to talk.
You're only in Anchorage 'cause you couldn't get
your facts right back in New York.
And now you're out here spreading the same liberal crap.
I'm not political.
I don't even vote.
My... obligation is to maintain objectivity--
Your obligation?
You abandoned your obligations a long time ago, lady.
See, I've done the reading.
The purpose of the fourth estate
is to advocate for the common man,
and that sure as hell does not describe you.
Okay.
So you want me to confess about how I'm not doing my job.
Is that it?
Yeah, that's it.
Write.
Karla, could you put a pot of coffee on?
Yeah, sure can. It got real quiet back there, though.
Is everything all right?
Uh, no. A situation in the newsroom.
Someone broke in, appears to be armed.
Are you serious? Should we get out of here?
Uh, not sure.
Stanley's still on the phone with the police,
but you might want to make this last call.
Uh, oh, and maybe tell them to use the back door.
That was Captain Freeman.
Freeman's on this? Not exactly an ally.
Maybe not, but he assured me that he understands the threat
and he's confident that he can seal off the TDA
without alerting the gunman.
- Can we stay here? - I am.
Yeah, I'll talk to Karla.
I know we're all concerned and scared,
but we need to put all that aside and focus.
The best way to help Eileen and Gabriel
is to get the police some answers.
Who is this guy and why the hell did he come after Eileen?
Okay, the place is all yours. Back door's locked.
Front door is open to the police like you asked, okay?
Thank you, Karla.
All right, I got our phone records,
but until we get the Concerned Citizen's name,
there's nothing to cross check.
There's a guy who's been posting
in our comments section recently.
Oilman223.
Listen to this.
"Environmentalism is the greatest thing to happen
to increased government control since 9/11."
- That sounds like Dennis. - It does.
I'm on The Eagle blog right now.
Oilman223 basically did a cut and paste.
He's definitely a follower.
Hey, I got the same handle trolling Eileen's Twitter--
@Oilman223.
"@EileenFitzgerald's shameful ambush of our governor
will be her last."
Did you check the profile biography for a name?
Yeah, it's blank. He's disabled location services, too.
This jerk was getting ready for this.
Let's crowdsource it. Publish his handle.
Someone has to know his real identity.
- We'd risk exposing the story. - Yeah, about that.
I hate to bring it up, but are we reporting
- this hostage situation or not? - Fair question.
Any other hostage crisis, we'd be all over it.
But if we go public, there's no telling
how Oilman223 will react.
The police are on their way.
It's only gonna be unnoticed for so long.
TV crews get wind of it, it's gonna blow up.
Who cares? It's not about that.
We'll deal with that when it comes.
Sure, we'll get scooped,
but I want to give the cops as much time as possible.
Remember, we'll be the only ones on the inside of this thing,
so the second it breaks, we should be posting
a minute-by-minute account on TDA's feed.
Until then, no reporting.
You done?
Not yet.
I understand what you want me to write,
but... it's not what I believe.
Yeah. That's the problem.
You write whatever you want.
You don't care who goes down because of it.
Can you give me an example?
Your last article on General Greene
grounded an entire fleet of F41s.
The production line at Armeon was shut down.
A lot of people are gonna lose their jobs.
Tell that to the parents of the dead pilot.
That's not the point.
It is the point.
Printing the truth has hard consequences,
and we all struggle with that, but you can't blame me for--
Don't give me that "Don't shoot the messenger" crap.
Then don't shoot the messenger.
Finish the confession.
And then what?
Oh, come on. Pick up, pick up.
Talk to me.
You okay?
For now.
And Eileen?
It's pretty tense in there.
He's forcing her to write a confession.
Is she going along with it?
She is, but not quietly.
I want to help, but I don't know how.
Stay calm. We're talking to the police.
Is there a way you can get a message to Eileen?
Without being seen? I-I-I don't know.
He took away her phone. Uh...
Wait.
She can see the Analytics Page.
Okay, we have a way to get information to Eileen.
Where are we with Oilman223?
He's created dozens of sock puppet accounts on Twitter.
- Fakes? - People use it to amplify their messaging,
and he's having them like and retweet his comments.
- What a loser. - None of the accounts are verified,
but I found a link that's connected to a website.
The domain name is registered by an E.L. Barry.
I'm logged into Nexis. There's an Eric Lowell Barry.
Address on Spenard. Not sure if it's current.
Um, a few unpaid parking tickets and a DUI.
But no history of violent crime?
Anybody get a photo on this guy?
Here.
- What are you doing? - Gabriel can see him.
Stanley.
Aaron, back here.
Got him.
I'll let Anchorage PD know we have a name.
- Okay. - We have a name?
We do. Eric Lowell Barry.
What do we know about him?
He's disgruntled, to say the least.
How's Eileen doing?
Gabriel says she seems all right.
We have a way to get her messages on the Analytics Page.
Let's go talk to Captain Freeman. He's here.
Okay.
Bravo Team to Ground Element.
I have eyes on the suspect.
Copy, Bravo Team.
Sit tight.
Mr. Cornik, Mr. Pritchard.
Captain. How can we help?
You've been very helpful so far.
This is Laura Cole, senior member
of our Crisis Negotiation Team.
I understand we have a name, Eric Barry,
and can communicate with Eileen.
- Anything else? - Not yet.
We're still compiling info on Eric.
I need Cole to establish contact as soon as possible.
What's the best office line for us to call?
Is that safe? Calling?
The best way to protect your colleagues
is to get this guy talking.
But any other info your team uncovers would be very helpful.
Okay, so let's keep sharing information.
In the meantime, I'm gonna have our snipers
monitoring the newsroom.
"I confess that I, Eileen Fitzgerald,
am a member of the liberal media elite.
Not only is my reporting biased,
it represents a concerted effort to suppress the truth
and spread lies, lies which only serve
the global interests of multi-national corporations
whose ultimate aim is to control our government
and restrict our constitutional freedoms..."
That work?
Yeah.
Now type it up and publish it.
- I can't do that. - The hell you can't.
No, I-I literally mean I can't.
I don't know how to publish.
My editor has to send me a live link.
Then get him to send you a link.
It won't work. He has to read it, proof it.
Uh, I mean, editors are like dogs.
They have to piss on everything.
This isn't some damn joke.
I'm not joking. This confession isn't me.
He'll see right through it.
Anyone who reads it will see right through it.
That might be my editor. Let me talk to him--
Report. What happened?
Report.
What happened? Did the suspect fire?
Confirmed. A shot was fired.
Stand by for confirmation.
Shot was wide. Hostage is unharmed.
I wasn't gonna answer it.
I'm just making sure.
I have to go to the bathroom.
This better not be some kind of trick.
It isn't.
I've been here for hours. Please.
What was that? Everything okay?
He fired his weapon, but Eileen's okay.
Claire, you should go home, deal with your family.
Jeff's got it handled.
I'm not leaving, not while they're still in there.
- None of us are. - Thanks, Karla.
Okay, where are we?
Still compiling Eric's posts and comments.
Any idea why he targeted Eileen?
He definitely hates mainstream media,
but when it comes to his trolling,
he doesn't call out any specific offense.
Yeah, he parrots Dennis Gibson mostly.
A majority of his work is on The Eagle.
They were trading messages right before
Eric walked into the newsroom.
Dennis compared Eileen to a "spreading cancerous sore
- that requires excising." - What a dick.
He was my first editor at the paper.
I'm gonna wake his ass up.
- Cool? - Yeah. Go.
Hey, guys. This is Detective Kowalczyk.
- Hello. - Hey, Walz.
Austin, good to see you.
Sorry it's under these circumstances.
Us, too, Detective. How can we help?
Yeah, I have a last known address for Eric Barry.
- Northwood Drive? - Exactly.
He's been fighting eviction for months.
Guess when the bank finally foreclosed on him?
Three days ago.
Stanley, maybe I head over there, too?
Canvass the neighbors, see what they know?
Yeah. Go.
Well, if your car's out front, it's, uh, trapped
by the police line.
Uh, can you give me a lift?
Uh, officially, no, but if we call it a "ride-along,"
I can do, but you have to ask me first.
Can I do a ride-along with you, Walz?
If you sign a waiver, yes. Let's go.
You going?
I can't.
I've never peed at gunpoint.
You worked on oil rigs? Your boots.
I covered the Deepwater Horizon in 2010.
Yeah, you covered it, huh?
You ever do any real work, or just cover it?
I think what I do is real.
But if you mean skilled labor, not so much.
My father did.
He was a... steel worker in Youngstown, Ohio.
Just like his father.
He was proud of that.
I was, too.
That supposed to make me like you or something?
You keep calling me elite.
I didn't grow up with money or fancy schools.
My mom was a teacher.
We didn't have a lot, but it was a good life.
Then that all went sideways in the '80s when the mills closed.
My dad was never the same.
It broke him.
It broke our whole family.
We both know how this goes down.
You're about to be national news.
Use it. Use me.
Let me tell your story.
So you can twist it into some angry-white-male crap
for your woke mob?
I was canceled by that mob.
Screw them. I'll be fair.
And anyway, you'll be able to read it
before I send it to my editor to publish.
My words?
Gabriel says Eileen has Eric talking now,
seems less agitated.
That can change in a split second.
And no luck reaching him on the phone?
We tried a couple of the other landlines.
He didn't shoot them, but he's not picking up.
So, what's the plan?
I have three sniper teams in position.
Only one has a high probability of a kill shot.
I want to give him the green light, but there's one problem.
- What's that? - Your reporter's in the way.
You want us to tell her to move so you can shoot the guy?
Might be the quickest, safest way to end this thing.
I say do it.
I worked on rigs all my life, onshore and off.
Started on the North Slope
straight out of high school as a worm.
Worked my way up.
Shell came to town in, uh, 2012
with a $6 billion spend.
Those were great years.
Coulda kept it going, but then ANWR
and all that crap messed it up.
Who's ANWR?
Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
See, the Feds, they control this huge amount of land,
but they're controlled by Greenpeace
and all these other environmental freaks.
Protested non-stop.
They delayed our ice-breakers.
They sabotaged the Kulluk.
- The drilling rig? - Yeah.
Well, I thought that thing had problems for years--
multiple engine failures, that kinda thing.
Yeah, if you believe the mainstream press.
So, Shell pulled out?
In 2015, then Chevron, then Imperial.
Governmental regulations and this mass hysteria
over this global warming BS has killed Alaska oil.
You really think global warming is BS?
Well, I think it's a zero sum game.
Either we burn fossil fuels,
or-- or we mine for "green" batteries.
It's all the same result.
So why not just let us work?
Meanwhile, I-I haven't worked for seven years.
Seven.
And, yeah, it breaks you.
What are you looking at?
Just wondering if it's light outside yet.
Damn it. She said no. She's not moving.
God. Why is she protecting this guy?
Why does Eileen do anything?
If she's talking to Barry,
he may have become more human to her.
She knows if she plays along with us, he's dead.
She doesn't want to be responsible for his death.
Let's hope he feels the same way.
I wouldn't count on it.
In my experience, as the pressure mounts,
there's a good chance he could act on his plan.
Which is to kill Eileen.
Based on what we know, yes.
- Oh. Did I wake you? - The hell are you doing here?
One of your devoted followers has taken
Eileen Fitzgerald hostage in the newsroom at gunpoint.
Suggesting it's my fault?
I'm suggesting you need to talk some sense into him.
So, now I'm the nut whisperer.
Nuts you embolden.
Eric Barry.
You probably know him better as Oilman223.
I've had a few exchanges with him.
I don't recall telling him to take a reporter hostage.
Last night, an hour before he did,
you two corresponded on the Eagle message board.
He asked you what a man's supposed to do
while people like Eileen Fitzgerald
"twist facts to turn the great state of Alaska
into another woke mess like California."
- It's a good question. - Mm-hmm.
And what did you say?
I say a lot of things to my devoted readers. I--
"Take action, Oilman223.
Reporters like Eileen Fitzgerald
are a spreading cancerous sore that requires excising."
It goes without saying, I'm speaking metaphorically.
When I talk about taking action, I mean political action.
I don't think Eric got the nuance of that.
- You need to call him. - I'm not getting involved.
You are involved.
Do you want him to kill her?
You can't put this on me, Roz.
I didn't make him sad and angry and frustrated.
All I did was let him know he was right
to feel those things, which he deserved to hear.
I can write this story one of two ways.
Either you're a villain who instigated a hostage situation
or a hero who helped save a fellow journalist.
What's it gonna be?
- Good morning. Mr. Torgeson? - Yeah.
Austin Teague, Daily Alaskan.
I wanted to ask you a few questions about your neighbor,
Eric Barry.
Why? Something happen?
Well, I can't give any specifics,
but he got himself into some trouble with the police.
I'm just trying to get some background on him.
Guess I'm not surprised.
Yeah? Why's that?
We used to have a beer every once in a while.
He took some hits in his life and got real angry.
And paranoid.
- Paranoid? - Yeah.
Fenced in his yard.
Even started booby-trapping the property.
He almost killed my dog.
Walz! Walz, hold up!
Walz?
Cool. Okay.
Look. It's nice, huh?
I get that it's been hard, but oil jobs
are coming back, right?
Not for people like me.
Which means that even if things are equal résumé wise,
and mostly they're not, I'm not getting hired.
You think that's fair? Hmm?
Or even legal?
Maybe not the way you describe it.
You sound like my ex-wife.
What happened?
She met someone with a sunnier outlook.
I'm sorry.
Kids?
Daughter.
Where is she now?
I don't want to talk about her.
You leave her out of this.
You hear me?
I hear you.
I clear first, then you come in.
Yeah.
We're good.
Guess he didn't pay his electric bill, either.
Hey, Walz.
Yeah?
Daughter.
You know, let me see if I can find her socials.
Daisy Barry.
All right, got her.
She's pretty active on Instagram.
Her last post was from rehab.
Hmm.
You should read.
This is a goodbye letter.
Mr. Barry doesn't expect to come out of this alive.
People have started posting about the police presence.
We knew this would happen.
That was Austin.
Eric has a daughter, college age.
He left her a goodbye letter.
- Where is she? - In a treatment center in Wasilla.
We should reach out. She might be able to help.
We should. Find her. Now.
I can drive. No, I can't. My car's in the lot.
Here. Take my Range Rover. It's in the back alley.
Range Rover?
Never drove a car that cost more than my house.
Do you know who first sounded the alarm
on the greenhouse effect?
I don't know. Some Harvard jackass?
No.
It was Exxon.
1977. They funded a study.
Their own scientists discovered that CO2 from carbon emissions
was catastrophic to the Earth.
They recommended that Exxon lead the charge
in alternative fuel sources.
But they didn't.
No. They buried it.
It didn't resurface until reporters dug it up.
Finding the truth is like...
climbing out of a well.
You have to pile fact on top of fact.
When you're struggling just to keep the lights on
or put food on the table,
facts don't matter much.
Facts matter because the anger is fueled by misinformation,
and that comes from so-called "trusted sources,"
like your friend Dennis.
Yeah, well, Dennis describes the world I actually live in.
He does.
He understands that people are struggling.
They feel abandoned, pushed to the back of the line.
But he also exploits that pain until anger metastasizes
into an idea-- someone needs to pay.
And then you pick up a gun.
Not him. You.
Hello?
Good morning, Mr. Barry.
My name is Laura Cole.
I'm with the APD's Crisis Negotiation Team.
We have units outside the building,
but I want to assure you nobody is coming in.
- I just want to talk. - Okay. Talk.
First, can you tell me how Eileen Fitzgerald is?
She's fine. For the moment.
"Deranged Anchorage Man Takes Journalist Hostage at TDA."
So now I'm deranged, huh?
Why do you keep looking at that?
Just waiting for you to finish reading.
Stop talking.
All right. Where are these messages coming from?
Are these coming from inside?
They could be coming from anyone with a computer.
Stop lying to me!
Tell me where these messages are coming from.
Come here.
He knows. He's coming for me.
Gabriel, he's going to find you.
Try to stay calm and do what he says.
We're doing everything we can.
Get Roz on the phone.
Tell her we need Dennis to call Eric now.
Get over here.
- Come here! Get over here! - Hey, it's okay.
- Shut up. Come on. - Stop!
- Come with me. - Please, please, please.
"Confirm at 9:17 p.m. last night,
Eileen Fitzgerald was taken hostage
by a disgruntled oil worker."
- Okay, next tweet. - Go.
"#Breaking-- Moments ago, a second reporter who was hiding
in the TDA building was also taken hostage.
Anchorage PD is on the scene.
So far, the gunman has been unresponsive."
In the corner! Stay down!
Let me explain.
Shut up!
Just sit there.
You tell your guys to stay back right now.
Huh? You hear me?
Oilman223, hey.
Dennis Gibson here.
- What? - That's right.
Quite a circus down at The Daily Alaskan.
Just curious what your-- what your take is.
How'd you get my number?
You listed it when you subscribed.
Yeah, well...
I haven't really been following the news.
Yeah, it's all over Twitter. Just... what's going on?
I'm just-- I'm just doing my part. That's all, Dennis.
Okay, well, I just wanted to make sure
that you and everyone else was safe
and handling the situation in the right way.
It's handled.
E-Eric, listen, man,
I use language sometimes to fire people up.
- But I-I never meant-- - You never meant what?
A word of it?
They got to you, didn't they?
What? No. No one got to me.
They got to you.
No one-- Eric.
He's gone.
Wait, Roz, you saw me. Hey, I tried.
You-- You can't put this on me.
I'm not the criminal here.
You sure about that?
You think that was clever, huh?
Having Gibson call me?
Mr. Barry, I don't know any Gibson.
If someone else called you, that didn't go through us.
Mm-hmm. Yeah, yeah, you wanna play me?
Go ahead. See what happens.
That is not our intention, Mr. Barry.
I promised you we would keep our distance.
We have and will continue to,
but I need you to negotiate with me in good faith.
Then stop playing games.
No games. I promise.
We know you are holding two people inside now.
Is anyone hurt?
No. No one's hurt.
Good.
Now, why don't we start with what you want.
What I want, huh?
Your demands. Can you share that with me?
Offer to let Gabriel go.
I can't leave you with him.
Mr. Barry?
Yeah, I'm s-- I'm still here.
Trust me, Eric.
It will buy you some time and good will.
I'll call you back.
This type of traumatic news could cause a relapse,
- so I'm concerned that-- - You're concerned?
Some nutjob is holding a gun on two of our colleagues.
You heard that part, right?
We'll be as tactful as we can.
Daisy, these are reporters from The Daily Alaskan.
They want to talk to you about your father.
That's my dad in there?
I'm sorry to spring this on you,
but our friends are in real danger.
Well, what can I do?
We'd like for you to come back to the newsroom with us.
If you could just talk to your dad--
There's nothing that I can say.
I haven't seen or spoken to him in years.
Just seeing you there could help.
He threw me out. He can't stand me.
That's not true.
He left you a letter full of regret.
And you can read it, but what you need to know
is that he was saying goodbye.
He's not planning on coming out alive.
You could change that.
Look, my dad, he doesn't want to change.
He's not well.
I'm the last person that could reach him.
I can't help you.
- Daisy, please-- - I just can't.
I'm sorry.
Daisy. Wait!
What's on your mind?
I'm not sure.
I'm just tired of feeling like this.
Of feeling less than.
And being angry...
...at everyone.
Eric, it feels like we're coming to the end here.
No one's been hurt, which means you can walk out that door
and not give away your entire future.
What future?
Can I see that?
What you've been writing?
You don't make me sound like a monster...
...or an idiot.
You're gonna get this printed?
You have my word.
Well, that's something, I guess.
That's something.
Eric, where are you going?
Eric, don't.
Eric.
Eileen.
Come to me! Come to me!
- You're both good to go. - Thanks.
Never seen anyone die before.
Have you?
I have, yeah.
In Afghanistan.
Eileen.
Are you hurt?
No, I'm okay. Thanks.
Oh, God.
Hey, is, uh, the bar still open?
We've been here all night.
All of us. Never left.
Even Bob.
He and Yuna went to track down Barry's daughter.
You're good people.
Thanks.
You're one of us.
Come on. I'll take you back to the hotel.
Last night, a man broke into the newsroom
of The Daily Alaskan and threatened to end my life
because he didn't like the way I did my job.
I was shocked, of course.
But sadly, I was not surprised.
Several months ago, a well-respected
investigative reporter was stabbed to death
outside his Las Vegas home by a corrupt politician
he exposed.
Physical attacks on members of the press
have risen dramatically in recent years.
One only need to turn on the TV to understand why.
It's become fashionable for people in power,
right up to those in the White House,
to delegitimize print journalists
by calling what we write fake news
and designating reporters as "enemies of the people."
There are armies of talking heads and bloggers,
in the mainstream and on the fringe,
echoing that message,
not just demonizing reporters, but dehumanizing them, too.
These attacks put a bull's-eye on our backs,
and if we don't stand up against this as a society
and remind our harshest critics
that liberty depends on a fair and free press,
the bull's-eye will wind up on the back of democracy itself.
Pursuit of a common truth is a responsibility I cherish
and will never, ever abandon,
even if you put a gun to my head.
Hi.
It's me.
Yeah.
Uh, I got a favor to ask.