The story behind the dam story
This spring, as part of the Center’s goal of training future journalists, John Christie and Naomi Schalit taught an investigative reporting class at Bates College in Lewiston. The ten students in that class conducted important research for the Center’s recently published story about weaknesses in Maine’s dam safety program. You can read all about the course in this dispatch from Bates Magazine.
“Wherever the people are well-informed, they can be trusted with their own government.”
— Thomas Jefferson
The Facts
is a weekly feature of Pine Tree Watchdog that provides non-partisan and independent research, background and context on topics of interest to Maine people.
The number of political moderates in the U.S. Senate is dwindling, and the departure of Senator Olympia Snowe, who is not seeking reelection, could further reduce their ranks. Senate moderates, those who do not follow a strict party line, have declined from 46 in 1977 to only six in 2009, according to one study. InMore
Staff reporters John Christie and Naomi Schalit headed down to Boston University recently for a weekend conference on narrative journalism. In between the workshops on things like “Sequencing: The Basics of Story Mechanics” and “One Story, Many Paths: Interactive Documentaries/Non-linear Storytelling” (we’re still not quite sure what non-linear storytelling is, except perhaps something an excitedMore
Dear Pinetreegate Tipsters: Please call me in the next day or two. – John Christie, 458-2023
Recent Series
- STATE INTEGRITY INVESTIGATION
- PINE TREE DEVELOPMENT ZONES
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THE CANDIDATES FOR GOVERNOR BY PARTY
- Improvements incremental for bail system problems
- Documents show how incoming Speaker Nutting inflated Medicaid charges more than $1 million
- AG taking former state employee Cook to court over $4000 travel debt
- From saving trees to housing the needy: what the four Democratic candidates say they’ve done
- From spying to saving Fenway: checking out the resumes of the GOP candidates for governor
- THE CANDIDATES FOR GOVERNOR
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POLITICS AND THE MAINE GREEN ENERGY ALLIANCE
- Lawmakers move to take politics out of grant awards
- Audit: state gave $3m contract to group that lacked capacity
- Legislators say leak of contract probe designed to “spin” findings
- ‘Rapid’ probe ordered for green energy group
- Committee votes for further investigation of Maine Green Energy Alliance
- Energy Alliance spends $6,000 of state grant for data program from pro-Democratic firm
- Legislators demand answers from green energy group
- Gov. LePage, legislators question grant to green energy group
- Energy group funded via state hired Democratic legislators, activists, donors
- Energy program shut down after questions raised about politics, effectiveness
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PENSIONS: THE NEXT BUDGET CRISIS
- Pension changes demand a third less of state budget
- State’s confidential employees’ pension plan costs state ‘extra’ $3 million
- Governor’s race: pension ‘time bomb’ missing in action from candidates’ platforms
- Voters locked up pension ‘cookie jar;’ now jar needs more money
- ‘Someone else’s liability’ behind $4 billion pension debt
- Looming bill for pensions will command larger share of taxes paid to state
- A CRITICAL LOOK AT MAINE'S WIND ACT
- ENERGY IN MAINE
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STATE OF ETHICS
- Lawmakers, LePage close ethics disclosure loopholes
- Committee approves bill to fix state ethics loopholes
- Lawmakers told transparency bill will ensure “ethical government”
- LePage ethics bill would require more transparency in government
- Records fail to disclose $235 million in state work given to officials’ private interests
- MAINE'S DAMS: HAZARD ALERT
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MAINE'S BAIL SYSTEM: A 19TH CENTURY HOLDOVER
- Maine’s bail system: will it be improved?
- Dexter tragedy brings bipartisan focus to domestic violence bail decisions
- ‘Broken’ bail system freed man who went on to murder family
- Maine’s bail system: best state can afford or a threat to due process?
- Officials may set bond amounts without full criminal history
- Maine’s bail system: A 19th century holdover
About the Maine Center for Public Interest Reporting
The Maine Center for Public Interest Reporting fills the 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. Center staff and interns research, write and distribute news stories that uncover and explain the actions of state, local and federal governments and also probe the records of candidates for public office.
Our stories are distributed across Maine by the Center’s media partners (see list on the Home page) as well as digitally by the Center via our web site and social networking tools. Story topics are chosen by the Center senior staff based on the suggestions and advice of the Center’s advisors, media partners and by the public through our websites.
Mission Statement
The Maine Center for Public Interest Reporting will fulfill the responsibility of a free press in the American democracy by providing independent reporting to Maine citizens about their government and elections.
The Center will be non-partisan; take no editorial positions; and will not associate itself with any interest groups except professional journalistic organizations.
The Center’s effectiveness will depend on the independence, accuracy and credibility of its reporting.
Our stories will include full documentation of our findings and references to all interviews and sources. We will eschew anonymous sources, assertively correct and clarify errors and omissions and treat the subjects of our stories with respect and fairness.
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