The Maine Monitor, “Tackling News Deserts: Bringing In-Depth Journalism to Maine’s Rural Communities”

Many of Maine’s rural communities see little to no journalism coverage. Maine’s daily newspapers are based in Maine’s urban centers and have few regional reporters covering limited portions of Maine’s rural communities, where 40% of Mainers live. In August 2022, The Maine Monitor launched a reporting initiative to dedicate coverage to rural communities, collaborating with hyperlocal independent news outlets to identify issues that would benefit from The Maine Monitor’s investigative and enterprise reporting. The Maine Monitor now dedicates reporting to Maine’s Downeast and Western Mountain regions, empowering residents there with information on matters of public interest. Join Executive Director Micaela Schweitzer-Bluhm and Local Government Reporter Emmett Gartner to learn more about this initiative, the impactful and informative reporting resulting from it, and how The Maine Monitor is delivering news, for free, to all of Maine’s communities. 

Micaela Schweitzer-Bluhm is the Executive Director of the Maine Center for Public Interest Reporting, which publishes The Maine Monitor. Micaela joined MCPIR/The Maine Monitor after retiring as a Senior Foreign Service officer. Micaela represented the United States around the world for 26 years, leading U.S. diplomatic teams, and advancing U.S. principles of democratic governance, most importantly, the importance of a free and vibrant press. Micaela spent most of her career in the Middle East and Southeast Europe and served as the Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Skopje, North Macedonia. Micaela holds a Bachelor’s Degree in International Relations from Brown University and a Master’s Degree in National Security Studies from the National War College. A native of southern New England, Micaela, her husband Todd, and three children have called Maine home since 2017.

Emmett Gartner covers accountability and Maine’s rural communities as a Roy W. Howard Fellow through the Scripps Howard Fund. Emmett earned his master’s degree in journalism from the University of Maryland’s Philip Merrill College of Journalism and a bachelor’s degree in environmental studies from the University of Vermont. While working as a reporter at the Howard Center for Investigative Journalism, he helped produce two award-winning investigations: “Printing Hate,” which documented the historic role of newspapers inciting racial lynchings, and “Mega Billions,” which investigated state lottery operations. Most recently, Emmett reported on health and environment for The Frederick News-Post in Maryland. He previously worked for the U.S. Forest Service in Oregon and interned for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on the Eastern Shore of Maryland.