ASU, PBS Rocked By Collusion Against Lake Scandal

A scandal has erupted at Arizona State University, which could rock the very foundations of the state institution and has threatened to shatter the credibility of the school, Arizona’s Public Broadcasting System, and the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism. A series of emails uncovered by AZ Central has shown that ASU President Michael Crow, former publisher of the Arizona Republic, Mi-Ai Parrish, and other staffers deliberately favored then-Secretary of State Katie Hobbs during the 2022 gubernatorial election, and, as Republican contender Kari Lake summarized it, “colluded” to prevent her from having a debate forum.

In a bombshell exposé, Stacey Barchenger of The Arizona Republic revealed Wednesday that Crow, along with staffers and Parrish, discussed how to handle Hobbs’ refusal to debate Republican gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake and how to manage what Crow called the “election denier issue.”

Barchenger found “Their discussion, documented in emails obtained by The Republic, as well as additional reporting, appeared to favor one candidate over another: Democrat Katie Hobbs over Lake.”

AZCentral investigative reporter Robert Anglen shared the report to X.com, writing, “Newly released emails detail how ASU’s top leaders sought to muzzle Kari Lake in 2022 for her election-denial views and give preferential treatment to Katie Hobbs on Arizona PBS during the governor’s race.”

INVESTIGATION: Newly released emails detail how ASU’s top leaders sought to muzzle Kari Lake in 2022 for her election denial views and give preferential treatment to Katie Hobbs on Arizona PBS during governor’s race. Story by @sbarchenger via @azcentral https://t.co/z9LW98WURQ

— Robert Anglen (@robertanglen) August 6, 2025

According to AZ Central, the emails obtained by The Arizona Republic detailed the controversial decision to offer Hobbs an interview on Arizona PBS that scuttled the University’s long-standing relationship with the voter-approved Arizona Citizens Clean Elections Commission, which was fueled by the ASU leader’s opinion of Hobbs and disagreement with Lake’s views on election integrity.

The report revealed in a flurry of emails:

• Parrish first emailed Arizona PBS leaders and wrote, “We may have issues,” and conversation with PBS Senior director and content officer, Ebonye Delaney revealed concerns with equal time laws and risk to the relationship with Clean Elections.
• Crow then wrote Parrish saying, “Whatever the format there remains the fact that it is our venue and brand. We need structure…and format…….and…. people who believe in elections as participants.”
• The ASU President then called for Crow’s chief of staff James O’Brien and Parrish to “make sure you are both on the same page here,” with Parrish asking tacitly “What outcome are you seeking?”

Barchenger, citing expert opinions, wrote, “That ASU leaders would consider one candidate’s views, and then reach down and influence television programming, called into question Arizona PBS’ independence as a news organization and its autonomy from university influence, experts said. And it could have risked legal repercussions for Arizona’s largest university, they added.”

Lake was branded an “election denier” by Crow, and Mi-Al Parrish went on to tell the Clean Elections Commission that Lake shouldn’t be given airtime, per AZCentral. But the subsequent decision by ASU to grant Hobbs an interview on Arizona PBS was the moment that sparked widespread outrage.

Rather than accept Arizona PBS’s terms, telling reporters at the time that she was offered a 30-minute segment like Hobbs, Lake insisted she would only agree to a joint segment with Hobbs.

“If she doesn’t appear with me, they should kick her out,” Lake said. “If Democrats don’t have to sit on the debate stage with the Republicans, if they can just stomp their feet and demand a safe space … then we’ll never have a debate system again.”

Lake opted instead to participate in a Clean Elections-sponsored interview on a different station after vowing not to appear at any PBS-related events following the debacle.

In a statement following the story, ASU spokesman Jay Thorne claimed in an email, “The shared objective of ASU and Arizona PBS after the gubernatorial debate was cancelled was to provide a forum for the voters of Arizona to hear from the two candidates for Governor in an interview format.”  He added, “It was an opportunity provided under identical conditions to each candidate, and only one accepted the offer.”

A statement issued by Lake in response to the story was direct:

“Taxpayer-funded Michael Crow and taxpayer-funded ASU, along with taxpayer-funded PBS, colluded to prevent me from having a debate forum for fear I would talk about election fraud, and because their chosen candidate Katie Hobbs would’ve been destroyed in a debate with me. They interfered in the 2022 Arizona Gubernatorial election and trampled on my First Amendment rights. Their actions were not just unethical; they were likely illegal, too.”