Great Falls Forum: 175 Years of Recorded History—Through Journalism
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The 2021-2022 season of the Great Falls Forum concludes on Thursday, May 19th, featuring moderator Judith Meyer, Executive Editor for the Sun Journal, Kennebec Journal, and Morning Sentinel, alongside David Chittim of the Androscoggin Historical Society, and Steve Collins, State House Reporter for the Sun Journal, with a talk entitled “175 Years of Recorded History—Through Journalism.” This free, public program will take place from 12 noon to 1 PM virtually via Zoom and streamed to the Lewiston Public Library Facebook page.
The Sun Journal, which has published under a number of different names since its first edition hit the streets on May 21, 1847, is celebrating its 175th anniversary. While the newspaper is one of the oldest businesses in Lewiston, it is so much more than that. Every single significant event that has ever happened in the lives of Mainers has been reported by generations of local journalists who first brought news of the world to local homes long before radio. They have remained steadfast on the job to shine a light on our shared lives, our struggles, our successes, and our personal stories, helping shape our communities in untold ways.
In their Great Falls Forum talk, Sun Journal Staff Writer Steve Collins and Androscoggin Historical Society Treasurer David Chittim will look at some of the more notable events in Androscoggin County and the journalism that brought those events to light. Take a walk back through time — through the pages of the Sun Journal and its predecessors — and reflect on our history, our lives, and our community. Celebrate the past and embrace the future.
A journalist since 1990 and former editorial page editor for the Sun Journal, Judith Meyer was named Maine’s Journalist of the Year in 2003 and was inducted into the Maine Press Association Hall of Fame in October 2021. She serves as vice president of the Maine Freedom of Information Coalition and is a member of the Right to Know Advisory Committee to the Legislature. She also serves on the New England Newspaper & Press Association Board of Directors and the board of the New England First Amendment Coalition, and was the 2018 recipient of the Judith Vance Weld Brown Spirit of Journalism Award in New England.
David Chittim is a professional land surveyor and engineer who was beguiled by local history after he began a retirement project researching the 200-year-old home he and Penny bought on a handshake in 1977. He consulted Doug Hodgkin, Lewiston’s de facto historian, who re-introduced him to the Androscoggin Historical Society. David was elected Treasurer of the Society in 2013 and seems fated to remain so until a volunteer arises. His interest in local history far outweighs his knowledge, so each exploration brings new insight. David eschews “history by rote” and favors immersing himself in the attitudes and events surrounding a particular occasion. An admitted “enlightened Luddite,” he draws more comfort from the 19th century than the 21st.
A daily journalist since 1987, Steve Collins has served as the State House Reporter for the Sun Journal since 2016. Among his awards are the Society of Professional Journalists’ 2016 Ethics in Journalism Award and the I.F. Stone Whistle-Blower Award in 2015. Collins is co-founder and board president of Youth Journalism International, a charity based in Auburn that teaches students around the globe about news writing, media literacy and issues of the day.
Admission is free to all Forum events. For more information, please contact the Lewiston Public Library at 513-3135 or LPLReference@lewistonmaine.gov.
The Great Falls Forum speaker series is co-sponsored by Bates College, Lewiston Public Library, and the Sun Journal.
