Michael Carey was born and raised in Fairbanks. He attended Fairbanks public school before going on to Ithaca College in New York, where he received a B.A. in History. He did graduate work in the History Department at Duke University in North Carolina before turning to journalism. Michael was an editorial writer and columnist for the Anchorage Daily News for 16 years and the editorial page editor for 10 years. Michael has also served as the host for the Public Television shows: "Alaska Edition" and "Running"