Mission
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.
“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.
January 24, 2012 © Maine Center for Public Interest Reporting
Correction appended below The sales tax is one of the touchiest political issues. Unlike the income or property tax, just about everybody pays it: rich and poor, resident and visitor — even the teenager who eats at McDonald’s. Almost every time a change to it is proposed, it sets off controversy. Recently, Gov. PaulMore
Gov. Paul LePage has released the text of his legislation to close a loophole in state ethics law that has allowed high-level state officials not to report millions in state payments to organizations run by themselves or their family members. Current law only requires that legislators or high-level state employees report state purchases of goodsMore
A distinguished editor and a former public broadcasting executive have joined the board of the Maine Center for Public Interest Reporting (MCPIR) as the Hallowell-based organization nears its second anniversary. Matthew V. Storin, the former editor of the Boston Globe, the Chicago Sun-Times, the New York Daily News and Maine Times, recently retired to Camden. He said, “I’mMore
Recent Series
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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
- STATE OF ETHICS
- MAINE'S DAMS: HAZARD ALERT
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MAINE'S BAIL SYSTEM: A 19TH CENTURY HOLDOVER
- 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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