Reamed by Beem
I’m not sure what your point was in “Chasing Chellie” [July 2008], but in dragging journalism into the gutter you have inadvertently done Chellie Pingree a service. I am much less concerned about Donald Sussman pumping money into Chellie’s campaign if he is dating her than I am if he simply has a business agenda. Keep up the dirty work. When you get through stalking Chellie, I’d love to hear what you can find out about Susan Collins’ love life.

— Edgar Beem, Yarmouth 

Hollow reporting 
I was delighted to see your paper when my wife brought a copy home.  The graphics, layout, and photos are beautiful and refreshing, but you are right with your subheading, “Yup, it’s none of our business” [“Chasing Chellie”]. The press is truly the fourth arm of democracy. It alone has the awesome power to keep us in line, and the government balanced, by telling the truth about real and important issues. The focus of much journalism in our country from both large and small news sources is tragically irrelevant and sensationalized fluff. It is about meaningless and often personal subjects, which leads to a very uninformed and often ignorant public. In today’s world this is very dangerous.  

A particular favorite subject of the “hollow” press is the personal lives of people in public office. It really is not important. This kind of reporting freezes people’s thinking. It distracts and dupes the public from voting for candidates’ positions and their real qualities: their integrity in government, smarts, ability to effect meaningful change, etc.

 With the kind of thinking you have demonstrated, neither my wife nor I will read your paper nor promote it to others, except occasionally to see if it has changed to become relevant to both the community and the world. 

— David Hulbert, Portland