The Role of Investigative Reporting in Maine’s Democracy

Great Falls Forum: Friday, Oct. 17: John Christie, founder and editor in chief, and Naomi Schalit, publisher and senior reporter of the Maine Center for Public Interest Reporting, will be speaking to the Forum on “The Role of Investigative Reporting in Maine’s Democracy.”

In recent years, most newspaper and broadcast news outlets in Maine have reduced newsroom staffs through layoffs, early retirements and attrition. One of the first victims is in-depth journalism — stories which often take one or more reporters “off the street” for weeks or even months.

Serious coverage of the electoral and legislative process has also suffered. In Maine, statehouse coverage has declined from about 20 year-round reporters in 1989 to 10 in 1999 to the current five.

The Maine Center for Public Interest Reporting is working to fill this gap between the diminished in-depth reporting from the existing Maine media and the need of the stateʼs citizens to be fully informed about the actions of its government and public servants. The Center is led by two award-winning and insightful journalists, founder John Christie and publisher Naomi Schalit.

John is a media executive whose 40-year career includes work in four states as a writer, editor, general manager and publisher for newspapers owned by Tribune Co., Dow Jones and Co. and the Seattle Times Co. In June, 2009, he retired after nine years as the president and publisher of Central Maine Newspapers, which publishes two daily papers, the Kennebec Journal and the Morning Sentinel.

Naomi has written for magazines and newspapers around the country, worked as a columnist for the Maine Times and for five years was a reporter and producer at Maine Public Radio. While at MPR, her reports were also featured on National Public Radio, Public Radio International and the CBC.

Christie and Schalit will be sharing their stories and talking about the role of their Center as a non-profit, foundation- and donor-supported outlet for independent journalism.

Admission is free to all Forum events and no reservations are required. This program is a bring-your-own brown-bag lunch event.  Coffee, tea and bottled water will be available on site at the library.

The Great Falls Forum is co-sponsored by the Androscoggin County Chamber of Commerce, Bates College, Lewiston Public Library and the Sun Journal. The Lewiston Public Library is located downtown at 200 Lisbon Street at the corner of Pine Street. More information on Thursday’s lecture or other upcoming events in the Great Falls Forum series is available by contacting our Reference Desk at 513-3135.

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