Tag: Liz Gotthelf

Residents share concerns about local news

~ Randy Seaver ~ 1 Comment

Roughly a dozen people gathered Tuesday at the McArthur Library in Biddeford to discuss local journalism and a rapidly changing media landscape.

The event was part of a statewide listening tour coordinated by The Maine Monitor, an online publication of the Maine Center for Public Interest Reporting, and intended to collect public feedback about how people perceive and access local news.

The July 29 event in Biddeford was co-sponsored by Saco Bay News, an online digital news outlet founded by former Journal Tribune reporter Liz Gotthelf in 2020.

“We’re here tonight to listen to you,” said Micaela Schweitzer-Bluhm, executive director of the Maine Center for Public Interest Reporting. “We want to know what matters to you when you access news about your community. How do you get your news, and what are the essential things you look for from local media?”

Biddeford Mayor Marty Grohman and Saco Mayor Jodi MacPhail attended the workshop meeting.

Josh Keefe, a government accountability reporter with the Maine Monitor, shares highlights of a break-out group discussion about local journalism during Tuesday’s event at the McArthur Library. (Seaver photo)

“One of the things I hear all the time from my constituents is that they often don’t know about things happening in the city because they don’t know where to find the information,” MacPhail said.

During his remarks, Grohman touched upon a common theme that was shared by many of the attendees: a lack of a daily print newspaper.

“I’m constantly looking for credible news,” Grohman said. “With so many different things online, it can be difficult to find credible news.”

Those attending the meeting were largely over the age of 50 and many of them reported having a hard time getting news that is both locally relevant and comprehensive.

Susan Gold of Saco is a former reporter and editor who worked many years at the Journal Tribune, the former daily newspaper that served northern York County for more than a century.

“It’s great that local governments are doing more to share news about what is happening in the community, but we also need an unbiased person to explain what is actually happening, and we need to be able to trust the accuracy of those reports,” Gold said.

According to Schweitzer-Bluhm, rural communities across Maine are being hit especially hard by a changing media landscape that has seen newsrooms shrink and local coverage evaporate.

“The heyday of print journalism gave readers coverage of town government but also issues that bind the community, whether it’s high school sports, obituaries or public notices about meetings and events,” she explained.

In just the last decade, the Biddeford-Saco area has seen a seismic change in how local news is gathered and shared.

The Portland Press Herald once maintained a local bureau on Main Street in Biddeford that housed operations for reporters, photographers and editors who covered news and events throughout Northern York County.

In 2020, the Journal Tribune, an afternoon daily newspaper based in Biddeford, ceased publication. And the weekly Biddeford-Saco Courier, which was locally owned and operated, was sold to a media conglomerate and ceased print publication earlier this year.

Those changes have many residents wondering where to turn when it comes to finding credible and accurate local news.

Several people said social media sites such as Facebook are filling some of the void when it comes to news and information, but also said social media has many pitfalls, including questionable accuracy and fairness.

“You have people attempting to report news who have no editorial oversight or training,” one woman said.

Ted Sirois of Saco said he misses the opportunity to write letters to the editor and finds himself concerned about bias in news reporting.

Today the Biddeford Saco area is served by three digital news platforms. Saco Bay News is an independent online-only publication that covers the communities of Biddeford, Saco and Old Orchard Beach.

The Biddeford Gazette, started in January this year, is another independent, online-only publication that provides hyper-local coverage of Biddeford news and events.

The Courier is now delivered as an electronic, weekly newsletter that also covers Northern York County.

The Portland Press Herald, Maine’s largest daily newspaper, today rarely covers day-to-day, local news in the Biddeford-Saco area.

“It’s certainly not like the old days,” bemoaned former Biddeford City Councilor Patricia Boston. “I miss the days of print newspapers, but I do my best to follow news in both the Gazette and Saco Bay News. It’s important for people to know what is happening in their community.”

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Randy Seaver is the editor and founder of the Biddeford Gazette. He may be contacted by email: randy@randyseaver.com

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Biddeford-Saco Courier will no longer be printed, online only

~ Randy Seaver ~ 2 Comments

According to its parent company, the Biddeford-Saco Courier — and several other weekly publications — will no longer be printed and will only be available online.

The Courier and many other newspapers throughout southern Maine, including daily and weekly publications, are owned by the Maine Trust for Local News.

Carolyn Fox, executive editor of the Maine Trust for Local News, said the decision was “difficult,” but pointed out that a dwindling number of people rely on printed publications as their primary news source.

“To sustain and grow impactful journalism in Maine, we have to meet our readers where they are,” Fox said. “Our digital expansion creates a stronger foundation for the Maine Trust, and we’re excited to build on that in partnership with the communities we serve.”

The move to a digital platform will result in 49 layoffs of employees who print and distribute the newspapers. Fox said her company is planning to add employees to its newsrooms later this year.

The Biddeford-Saco Courier — a free weekly publication — was created and launched by David and Carolyn Flood of Saco in 1989. The paper was distributed in residential neighborhoods and available on newstands.

The Floods — who now live in Delaware — sold the Courier and several of its sister publications to the publishers of the Journal Tribune in 2007. The daily Journal Tribune newspaper closed its doors in 2019.

Flood said he was surprised by the announcement but acknowledged the industry trend. “Personally, I think printed papers are easier to read,” Flood said.

Liz Gotthelf, the publisher of Saco Bay News — another online news source in the Biddeford-Saco area — said she was not surprised by the announcement.

“To sustain and grow impactful journalism in Maine,
we have to meet our readers where they are,”

– Carolyn Fox, executive editor, Maine Trust for Local News

“I think publishing local news online is a way to reach a wider range of readers,” Gotthelf said. “By focusing on a digital platform, it makes things so much easier and less expensive. Also, there are not many places that have a printing press.”

Currently, the Courier’s online presence is connected to its parent company’s web site, which can only be accessed with a paid subscription. The Courier has always been a free publication, so it remains unclear if readers will be able to access the publication without a subscription.

Both Flood and Gotthelf say they will be closely watching the Courier’s transition.

People seeking local news and information in the Biddeford-Saco area will now have three online media outlets to choose from, including the Biddeford Gazette and Saco Bay News.

Laura Seaver, publisher of the Biddeford Gazette, said the announcement was expected for a long time. “This puts everyone on a level playing field,” she said.

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NEWSLETTER: From Me to You

~ Randy Seaver ~ Leave a comment

Hard to believe it’s been two weeks since our last newsletter. A big thank you to all of you who have decided to join us on this journey by subscribing and/or following and liking us on Facebook.

A quick review:

Things at the Biddeford Gazette have been moving quickly and there are exciting changes on the horizon, but let’s take a quick look back:

In the last two weeks, we have posted nine stories, including six exclusive news stories, a contributed column from State Rep. Marc Malon, and a somewhat fun opinion piece about Biddeford’s quirky penchant for creating an ever-growing list of municipal committees, boards and commissions.

Winterfest returns to Biddeford today! (Devin Wright photo)

But there are two stories that really stick out for me this week, including the first installment of our three-part series regarding Biddeford’s housing crisis. I had to do three installments because there are just so many moving pieces to this complex puzzle, and I want to explore all of the angles.

If housing is a concern of yours, the Biddeford City Council will host a special workshop meeting at City Hall on Tuesday, Feb. 11, beginning at 5:30 p.m. There will be an opportunity for public comment. You can choose to watch the meeting online. Click here for more info about that meeting

The other story was much tougher to write. Our community came together this week to honor and support the family of a Biddeford police officer who was killed in a traffic accident in December.

I have been doing this work off and on for decades. The hardest part of the job is interviewing people when they are grappling with crippling grief and loss.

My colleague Liz Gotthelf and I respectfully remained in a corner while we waited for Police Chief JoAnne Fisk to ask Sgt. Jacob Wolterbeek’s parents if they would be willing to speak with the media.

Even with their permission – and gratitude – it is still the hardest part of the job, and you want to do your very best to capture the story with precision, empathy and respect.

Many officers of the Biddeford Police Department are wearing wrist bands that honor the memory of Sgt. Jacob Wolterbeek (Seaver photo)

Community Feedback:

We have received some very good feedback, suggestions and guidance from the community. Not a day goes by when I don’t hear encouraging and supportive words from my neighbors, friends and others who care deeply about Biddeford.

One person suggested that we should change and darken the font on our site to make it more readable. Done. Another person suggested that we should add an events calendar to our site. We are working on that and hope to launch a dedicated page for community events by the end of the month.

Another person who I greatly respect, told me she is enjoying reading the Gazette but advised me to slow down a bit. She said I should consider taking a day off once in a while.

Another person suggested that we try to shorten some of our stories to make them more readable. I have now imposed a 750-word limit on myself.

However, the most popular part of the Biddeford Gazette is our weekly publishing of obituaries that are updated on our website daily. Unlike other publications, we provide this service at no charge to the families or funeral homes. We consider it a public service. With the combined resources of our social media partners, we have access to more than 35,000 readers.

One former local politician asked me why I showcase other media outlets on the Biddeford Gazette’s Facebook page.

It’s part of our mission, I explained. We are here to promote Biddeford news, regardless of where it comes from. We simply post a link to the other guys so that when you click on their stories, our Facebook page takes you directly to their site, not our site.

No other media outlet does that: promoting news stories from other media outlets. We do it to make it easier for you to stay on top of what’s happening from a wide variety of sources.

In just the last week, I have shared stories from Saco Bay News, the Biddeford-Saco Courier, WGME-TV and WMTW-TV. Make sure to like and follow the Biddeford Gazette on Facebook so that you stay completely up to date.

What’s ahead?

We have a lot of things in the works. After all, it’s been less than 30 days since we officially launched this site.

Don’t forget that Valentine’s Day is right around the corner. In addition to chocolates and greeting cards, maybe you could throw a little love our way by subscribing to our site, and following us on Facebook.

Enjoy Winterfest this weekend!

As always, thank you so much for reading!

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