All things do, as they say, come to an end and our Tell Me More Tour is no exception. What started in early April in Lewiston, wrapped up in Camden at the end of August with a lively discussion led by Maine Public's CEO Mark Vogelzang. Mark brought along All Things Considered host Nora Flaherty and News Producer Ed Morin to hear what was on the minds of Camden-area residents and what news mattered to them.
While a wide spectrum of topics was brought to the fore, the discussion at this tour stop kept coming back to topics around the relationship between the community and the environment. Climate change was a palpable concern and the desire for Maine Public to provide more comprehensive coverage of global warming was articulated by many present. The warming of the Gulf of Maine and the resulting negative effects on the fishing community were of particular interest. Pollution, issues around landfills, and even noise pollution coming from large boats and yachts were offered up as worthy of news investigation and coverage. The strong presence of both ticks and Browntail Moths were mentioned as being especially disconcerting to the Camden community.
And, like at many other tour stops, attendees wanted to hear success stories from other areas of the state on how other Mainers have reacted to and approached the challenges Camden is currently facing. Mark, Nora, and Ed assured the group that they heard that message loud and clear.
So, what will Maine Public be doing with the suggestions and feedback we heard at each of our Tell Me More Tour stops? Our next step is to get our entire news team together and discuss each stop and talk about the commonalities we see in what we heard. What stories are unique to each region of Maine that are worthy of coverage and would be of interest to the rest of the state? Our future Deep Dive projects will, no doubt, be informed by what we heard on our listening tour.
Thank you, Camden, for your passion and input!
