Category: Media

Goodbye Stranger

~ Randy Seaver ~ 1 Comment

reporterI want to scream.

In a world chock full of culprits that are partially responsible for everything from the “dumbing down of America” to the nomination of Mitt Romney and the advent of Twitter, it’s become increasingly difficult for me to stomach the banality associated with blaming “the media.”

While media criticism is important and necessary, a lot of people who blame “the media” have no idea what they are talking about.

Instead, blaming “the media” has become a catch-all phrase and a convenient target for those who want to ignore two very much larger problems: laziness and stupidity.

There is no question that media has changed, but I challenge you to define the word in its present-day context.

Sure, we can turn to the dictionary and find this: media: (noun) 1.) plural form of medium; 2.) the main means of mass communication (esp. television, radio, newspapers, and the Internet) regarded collectively.

Media, whether it’s a daily newspaper, the evening television news, a blog or something that a “friend” posts on his Facebook page, is multi-faceted, multi-layered and increasingly accessible to every person on the planet.

That’s not necessarily a good thing.

Blaming the media is sort of like blaming your reflection in the mirror for having that fifth margarita or being late to work. Too often, blaming the media is just a convenient form of mental masturbation that serves no good purpose except helping you sleep better at night.

The good ol’ days?

The opening pages of the book Leaving Readers Behind: The Corporate Age of Newspapering contains this stunning contrast of two very different media mission statements:

This is the Journalist’s Creed written by Walter Williams in 1914:  I believe in the professionalism of journalism. I believe that the public journal is a public trust; that all connected with it are, to the full measure of their responsibility, trustees for the public; that acceptance of lesser service than the public service is a betrayal of this trust.”

And this is the Statement of Strategic Intent issued by Knight Ridder Newspaper Corp. in 1991:  We stand for excellent  service to customers and communities, a fair, respectful and learning environment for all our employees and a strong return for our shareholders. This responsibility is shared by each of us in Knight Ridder, regardless of title or function.”

So it seems easy to be cynical about the so-called “mainstream media” or as Rush Limbaugh describes it: “the drive-by media.”

Oh, how we long for the good days of journalism; the fair and balanced reporting and the loyalty of preserving the public trust. Too bad it’s gone right?

Wrong.

We are surrounded and inundated with loads of good journalism and a diversity of media that is unparalleled and will be surpassed in its diversity in less than 15 minutes.

Before you moan about the demise of media, or the sentimental loss of the warm and fuzzy images of Walter Cronkite and the proverbial grumpy editor such as Ben Bradlee, chew on this: Why haven’t you switched the channel?

Try it, you’ll like it

Better yet, what’s stopping you from being the media? It’s probably the same four things that stop most media endeavors: Money, Time, Resources and Audience.

Sure, go ahead and bitch about advertiser supported media, but how are you going to pay your reporters?  For those of you who will predictably point to examples such as “listener supported” public broadcasting, you may have missed those corporate announcements at the beginning of each segment.

Without corporate and taxpayer subsidies, National Public Radio would be nothing more than a distant memory because the vast and overwhelming majority of its listeners don’t dig very deep into their own pockets.

Yeah, and state-sponsored media is a sure-fire way to ensure credibility and a lack of bias. I mean, really . . . what would could possibly go wrong if we let the government report to us about the government?

I find it annoying that the bulk of those who bitch about the media have spent zero hours in a newsroom nor  ever required to sit through three hours of a planning board meeting while earning slightly more than minimum wage.

Pull back the curtain

Of course, no one loves to talk more about the media than the media. They are a narcissistic lot, full of righteous indignation. I know this because many of my friends and former colleagues still work in the media. God bless them.

These folks are professionals, but they are no different from anyone else and subject to all sorts of the very same pressures you will find in any other profession: gossip, bias, greed, competition and ego.

A few weeks ago, I found myself on the phone with one of the editors at the Portland Press Herald. I was calling on behalf of one of my clients and asking for a favor.

The editor was a bit pissed off about my intrusion, and he didn’t try very hard to mask his annoyance: “Randy, you used to be a journalist, how can you ask me a question like that?”

Surprisingly, he accepted my honest response. “I’m not a journalist anymore, and you know damn well my current occupation requires me to ask the question even though I know you are going to refuse my request.”

That honest exchange led to a compromise we could both live with: he did not budge and I accepted his decision.

Where’s the good media?

As I said before, we are surrounded by some excellent examples of journalism. A couple of weeks ago, I picked up a copy of the Southern Forecaster newspaper. That free, weekly newspaper was chock-full of solid community-based reporting.

There was an in-depth, comprehensive story about growing tensions between the Scarborough Rod & Gun Club and a group of neighbors who chose to build their homes near the club. It was a universal story about the themes of gentrification and it made me think about the tension in my own community between those who use the Biddeford Airport and their residential neighbors.

Another front-page story examined the plight of the South Portland City Council in light of a recent court decision that would allow municipal employees to serve on municipal boards and committees. Again, the same dynamic is an issue in my own community.

The Forecaster group of newspapers is one of the few remaining Maine-owned media outlets, and its staff seems to understand the importance of digging deep and solid reporting. Mo Mehlsak is the editor of the Forecaster. I remember him from his days as the city editor at the Journal Tribune. He is a newspaperman’s newspaper man: tough, intelligent and insightful. I never had the pleasure of working with him, but I have admired his work for nearly 20 years. He is obviously grooming an exceptional staff of reporters.

Speaking of the Journal Tribune, Tammy Wells has been covering York County issues longer than anyone else. She offers her readers a ton of institutional memory and insight.

When it comes to unbiased reporting and a willingness to cover stories in-depth, check out the work of my former colleague, Kate Irish Collins, a reporter for the Saco-based Sun Chronicle, part of Current Publications, another Maine-owned media outlet. No one person can come close  to matching Kate in producing such a volume of news content with consistent accuracy and lack of bias.

My friend Kelley Bouchard at the Portland Press Herald consistently delivers solid reporting and poignant features. She led off her newspaper’s insightful (and painful) examination of Maine’s aging population. The Challenge of Our Age.

On Election Night, every political junkie in Maine turns to the exceptional coverage provided by the Bangor Daily News.

And if you’re looking for a good compilation of Maine news and opinion, check out Bob Mentzinger’s  Writing Maine feed. Mentzinger is a close friend, but he’s also the editor at the Brunswick Times Record, another afternoon daily that strives every day to produce exceptional journalism on a shoe-string budget.

Yes, there is plenty of room for media criticism, and Al Diamon does an exceptional job of keeping Maine’s media outlets on their toes with his sometimes harsh, yet consistently detailed analysis that can be found in his weekly Media Mutt column published at The Bollard.

These are just a few samples that show it’s not hard to find solid journalism in Maine or anywhere else. You just have to look for it.

The next time you feel like bitching about the media, go take a long, hard look in the mirror and ask yourself this: are you part of the solution or part of the problem?

Too big to fail?

~ Randy Seaver ~ 1 Comment

I never expected it to happen so quickly.

Almost every day I am deep in the trenches of public opinion, helping a wide variety of clients navigate the perilous waters of brand reputation management, crisis communications and message development designed to garner strong public support.

But last night it got a bit personal, and I tried a social media experiment.

urlI had an issue with my mobile phone provider, AT&T, one of the nation’s largest corporations. I spent more than an hour on the phone with their customer service representatives, haggling over a bill that was grossly out of balance. You can find the details here.

The company failed on several fronts. First, they did not live up to the promises they made during prior calls about the same issue. Secondly, perhaps more importantly, they let me off the phone without asking me if I was satisfied.

I waited 24 hours and then launched an all-out social media battle with the company. I dragged their competitors into the fray. I hounded their Facebook page and chased them on Twitter. But it all ended rather abruptly.

I never had the chance to execute the second phase of my PR battle because they smartly surrendered and resolved the issue to my satisfaction.

I am just one person, but I used my social media connections to leverage my message. The results were clear. It took fewer than 24 hours for them to surrender to my one-man war on the blogosphere.

This was all preventable. AT&T spent far more than the $1,000 they claimed I owed. They also suffered as others jumped on my bandwagon, further diminishing the company’s brand and reputation.

There are lessons here.

1.) No company is too big to fail.

2.) Do not underestimate the power of social media.

3.) Your brand and reputation are your most important assets and must be guarded.

AT&T ought to take a lesson from companies like AVIS, which authorizes its front-counter rental agents to do whatever it takes to resolve customer complaints; or LL Bean, a company that built a reputation for the quality of its products by honoring their replacement for any reason whatsoever. Or, GWI, a locally owned Biddeford-based ISP and telecommunications provider that always goes the extra mile to make customer satisfaction a top priority.

Fletcher Kittredge of Biddeford started GWI with vision and commitment, but he also had to endure many, many battles with larger telecomm giants. Fletcher proved that you can compete with anyone by focusing on the quality or your product and developing strong relationships with your customers.

AT&T, by comparison, is a multi-billion dollar corporation. Why is it so hard for such a large company to understand or appreciate the value of customer satisfaction and loyalty?

Straight, No Chaser

~ Randy Seaver ~ 1 Comment

Yesterday was amazing.

I’m not a social media expert, and I am wary of such titles. But I am fascinated by the new communications tools at our disposal.

angry-computer-guyWithin the last 48 hours, I published two new items on this blog, one about tension in Biddeford created by a push to enhance the city’s “creative economy,” and the other about my ongoing journey with mental illness.

Guess which one generated the most buzz? You might be surprised.

I was.

People sometimes ask me why I write this blog. The answer is simple. I just like doing it.

Self-described social media experts will tell you that the best blogs are those with a single focus, those that focus primarily upon a specific topic. I think that’s pretty good advice for building an audience, but this blog does not follow those generally accepted rules to attract visitors.

Instead, this blog is all over the place, though primarily focuses on politics and my mental illness. It is driven by my raging brain that needs a release: a cyber-coded pressure relief valve.

Although my latest post about Biddeford generated lots and lots of discussion and varying arguments on Facebook, it didn’t hold a candle to my post about my 30th anniversary of being discharged from a psychiatric hospital: broke, unemployed and homeless.

That post about the worst and best day of my life soared off  the analytics chart. Within two hours of publication, traffic to that post smashed the record for any other post in the last two years — a whopping 670 percent jump, attracting readers from Norway, Japan and England.

Why? I have a theory.

There is a lot of information out there, but a lot of it is simply varying perspectives on the same subjects.

Closer examination of my analytics reveals an interesting trend. When I write about my own unique experiences with mental illness, traffic is at its highest. It drops off  when I poke at Biddeford’s political dynamics; it falls even further when I write about Maine politics; and is at its lowest point when I weigh in about national politics, generating no more than three or four hundred unique hits.

Web surfers are weary and inundated by a flood of information about politics and hot-button issues.  Media critics rely on a tired adage: If it bleeds, it leads

But readers do respond and connect with personal stories. They like stories that restore their faith in humanity. They can only argue and fight for so long. Deep down, we want to feel good and connected to our fellow humans.

We all have our own struggles. We are encouraged by stories of overcoming adversity. Our faith is restored. Our energy is renewed, and we want to share the good news.

Like any other writer, I take satisfaction in knowing people are willing to read what I write. I was happy about yesterday’s spike in traffic, but the number of visitors here really doesn’t matter. So, I will continue ranting about any subject that pops into my brain.

But there is an important lesson for all you folks who want to deliver a message. Connect with your audience by being unique and honest.

Dear Mr. Fantasy

~ Randy Seaver ~ Leave a comment

Pop Quiz: Name at least one individual who signed the Declaration of Independence.

If you answered John Hancock, congratulations: you are in the majority.

John Hancock’s famous signature has been immortalized over time, becoming synonymous with integrity, courage and conviction.

fat_geekWhen taking on the world’s most powerful army and navy; when telling a temperamental king to stuff it . . . well, that takes courage. The Declaration signers risked more than their reputation or the loss of some friends when declaring their independence. They put themselves at odds with those who had the power to imprison them, ruin their businesses and families and yes, risked their very lives by their willingness to stand up and be counted.

John Hancock’s name is the most visible signature on the Declaration. Its presence and boldness are unmistakable. It was signed by a man with no regrets and no fear of the consequences. It was dashing and principled, and thus it has become legendary.

But in today’s world of social media news distribution and opinion commentary, too many people prefer to protect their privacy by using monikers or posting their comments anonymously.

I can understand the reluctance to publicly stand behind your opinions, but I guarantee you that no one will name an insurance company ANONYMOUS.

Look, honey…there’s the ANONYMOUS skyscraper!

There’s been a lot of talk lately about what should or should not be confidential information; and newspapers large and small are constantly wrestling with ways to maintain a vivid online presence with reader interaction without being hijacked by anonymous posters who refuse to stand in the daylight and own their opinions.

A few days ago, I was contacted by the Lewiston Sun Journal because I applied for permission to post online commentary on that newspaper’s website. I was required to fill out a form with my name, address, e-mail and a phone number for authentication. Thus, if I feel like commenting on a Sun Journal story, the whole world will know who I am.

Being required to stand up and own what you say gives most people pause. You can’t be such a tough guy if other readers can quickly determine who you are.

I applaud and encourage rigorous, spirited debate on all public policy issues. Every debate is enhanced by multiple points of view, but if you don’t have the guts to sign your name, sit down, shut up and go back to watching Captain Kirk for a few more hours.

And finally, if you are completely gutless and must resort to sending anonymous letters, here are a few helpful hints from a writing professional:

1.) Buy a dictionary and use it;

2.) Double-check your grammar and punctuation;

3.) Do not lie, especially if you are pretending to be a “professional” writer and planning to correspond with other professional writers;

4.) If you are writing online, learn to use hyperlinks;

5.) Do yourself a favor: invest in a copy of The Elements of Style

Failure to follow these tips will guarantee that your scribbling will soon be widely circulated as the best joke of the day.

Dancin’ with myself

~ Randy Seaver ~ Leave a comment

echo chamberHow do they do it?

I mean . . . really? How do they stay together, despite their almost polar opposite political views?

I’m referring, of course, to James Carville and Mary Matalin, two political strategists who have gained national prominence for their sage political advice and their respective close relationships to former presidents and aspiring politicians across the political spectrum.

Carville is a passionate, outspoken and often controversial leader of the political left. Matalin is a passionate, outspoken and often controversial leader of the political right.

And yet, despite their divergent political views, they are married and are able to find respect and admiration for each other.

I mention this because of an experience I encountered earlier this week in the sphere of social media, where the subject of politics can be a dominating topic, allowing just about anyone to espouse their political views while attracting commentary from their “friends.”

While social media platforms such as Facebook have become powerful tools to promote various forms of political commentary, there is a growing concern that they are only reinforcing our own, pre-conceived political ideology and creating massive “echo chambers” of political discourse.

With tools such as Twitter, Facebook and cable television, we today have immeasurable ways to filter our news, information and opinion. More than ever before, we can more easily gravitate to our own pre-selected sources of information, a process that robs us of the opportunity to question, challenge and discern the validity of our opinions and viewpoints.

I am guilty of this practice, but I do try to absorb contrary viewpoints, believing that it is a valuable process for expanded learning.

I am a self-described political junkie, and there are few things I enjoy more than debating public policy issues. My real life friends know this about me; I am a born-again contrarian, willing to switch sides when necessary if only to provoke and debate hot-button political issues.

My core political philosophy mostly follows the Libertarian model. I am pro-choice and pro-gun, yet I generally abhor abortions and try to remind others than the Second Amendment includes the words “well regulated.” I voted in favor of same-sex marriage. I am a fiscal conservative who appreciates the need for sound public spending and government regulation. I like renewable energy projects, but believe global climate change is being exploited for political purposes. My Facebook friends span the political spectrum, from hard left Democrats to hard-right Republicans.

In essence, I like to believe that I belong to the Common Sense party. This position earns me no respect whatsoever from those who have staked out much more stark positions. Some members of the GOP call people like me a RINO (Republican In Name Only). Some on the left, describe me as a hypocrite and a sell-out.

But I doubt very much that I am the only one who vacillates between the political poles. I am a firm believer in the political center and the notion that the “middle” is the most important demographic for any election.

Now, back to earlier this week. A real-life friend, a woman I very much respect and admire, threatened to block me from her news feed on Facebook.

Her rationale for this action: “Do you ever post anything that isn’t provocative?”

The subject at hand was last week’s announcement that helped clear the way for women to serve in combat roles. I think this was a good decision, yet I also asked whether women should now be required to register with the Selective Service, just as my sons will have to do when they turn 18.

The majority of the feedback my comment received indicated that most of my friends feel that “fair is fair,” and what’s “good for the goose is good for the gander.” But still, I was bothered that someone would threaten to block my opinions only because they did not align with hers.

My response was almost immediate, but not very well thought-out.

“I enjoy rigorous debate and alternative points of view; it’s why I like social media because it allows me to be exposed and digest opinions other than those I may have already conjured. I have “friends” of all political persuasions; sometimes they drive me bonkers and I’m sure I rattle their cages BUT through that discourse I gain valuable insight.

“I never want my news to be single-focused; I appreciate diversity…including diversity of thought and opinion; and I sincerely value your friendship. Block me if you must, but please know that would be a big loss for me. My previous career [as a journalist and political commentator] was geared toward provoking to inspire thinking. I don’t like echo chambers; and I have learned much from my Dem friends, and always appreciate the challenges to my thinking.”

In closing, my concerns about the proliferation of echo chamber discourse is shared by several academics and other thought leaders (see the links below). I also hope that this issue of echo chamber mentality will become part of a much larger conversation.

Step Outside Your Own Echo Chamber

The Echo Chamber Effect: New York Times

On the flip side: “Echo Chamber” is just a derogatory term for “community”

The Crying Game

~ Randy Seaver ~ 3 Comments

A couple of days ago, an exhausted and emotional President Obama visited privately with some of his campaign workers and reportedly got pretty choked up. At one point, the president’s tears began to flow.

For some reason, the White House decided to release this rare footage, despite the fact that it was recorded at an event the media was not allowed to attend.

The reaction? Pundits across the globe praised the president’s candor, his show of genuine appreciation. In fact, President Obama’s crying video has gone viral, attracting more than 1.7 million hits on the campaign’s You Tube channel.

Now let’s compare this to the public reaction from just two years ago, when Republican House Speaker John Boehner cried while being interviewed on 60 Minutes about his new role as Speaker of the House…..well, you remember, right?

Here’s what Bill Maher had to say:

“Did you see the new speaker of the House John Boeher cry? He cries a lot. Mr. Boehner you’ve got to stop crying. For one, your tan is going to run. And what’s he going to do if he loses next time? Put on a Bjork record and cut himself?”

Over the last few days, media pundits and amateur pundits on Facebook have been telling us that it is time for cooperation. It is time for the GOP to brush off its brutal losses and begin working with the Democrats. To steal a phrase, It’s time to put people before politics.

For my part, I am trying. I really am. Check the letter I wrote to President Obama on the day after the election.

But it’s damn hard to accept the media’s blatant hypocrisy. Furthermore, why is it so bad for a man… a strong man, or any man for that matter– to cry? Is it a sign of weakness?

Both Obama and Boehner were captured in honest moments of raw emotional expression. The ability to appropriately express your emotion…whether it’s grief, joy or some hidden pain is generally a sign of good mental health. Do we really want our nation’s leaders bottling up their emotions?

Now, here’s a test. Watch this video and see if it makes you cry….even just a little. I dare ya.

My friends and family know that I cannot watch this scene without crying like a baby. If I were a Democrat, I suppose that would be an endearing quality. But if I am a Republican, I best prepare for some intense criticism.

It will be a lot easier for our nation to heal, if we can just move beyond some of the hypocrisy.

We love dirty laundry

~ Randy Seaver ~ 1 Comment

It’s a strange time for the newspaper industry — especially here in Maine, where we recently witnessed several seismic shifts in the media landscape.

Yesterday it was announced that Donald Sussman’s investor group will now own a 75 percent stake in the company that publishes the Portland Press Herald, Kennebec Journal, Waterville Morning Sentinel and the Maine Sunday Telegram.

Hedge fund financier and philanthropist Donald Sussman said he wanted to save a Maine institution and will keep his hands off the wheel of editorial decisions. (Bangor Daily News Photo)

That’s all fine and dandy, except for one small twist: Sussman’s wife just happens to be Congresswoman Chellie Pingree, and she shows no sign of leaving Maine’s First Congressional District anytime in the near future.

Sure, Sussman says he has only the best  of  intentions, and adamantly vows that he will not interfere with the newspapers’ editorial process. Yeah, okay…whatever. For the record, I actually have a full-head of hair.

I was lucky to work for a family-owned group of weekly newspapers. David & Carolyn Flood gave me a very long leash, but I was never foolish enough to forget that I was on a leash. The Courier was not my paper.

There were many times when my editorials and opinion columns came nowhere close to matching the opinions of my employers, but they sighed…rolled their eyes…and kept giving me a paycheck. For better or worse, I was promoted three times during the seven years I worked for David and Carolyn.

My salary steadily increased and the newspaper thrived. The Courier was the paper of record in Biddeford and Saco, but I always knew I had a boss…heck, sometimes I even paid attention to David.

But all good things come to an end, and it remains to be seen whether the Press Herald or smaller weekly papers such as the Courier will continue to survive in this brave new world of digital media.

Regardless of the financial implications of producing dead-tree news, the Press Herald and its sister publications have crossed a murky line, despite the financial necessity of the decision.

It’s a tough call. Do you fold, and allow a historical institution to become nothing more than a memory? Do you surrender and send hundreds of employees to the unemployment line?

Or do you hold your nose and make a deal with the devil?

U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-Maine)

I’m sure Donald Sussman is a nice enough guy. I’ve never met him. But regardless of his Boy Scout oath to be ethical, every story that involves his wife, her decisions or her detractors will now be tainted with lingering doubt.

In November 2010, the Portland Press Herald surprised many of its readers by endorsing Republican Dean Scontras over Pingree during her campaign for a second term. If that happened now, we would have to wonder whether such a stance was motivated by an editorial board trying to make a public statement about its objectivity.

Journalists bristle when discussing ethical standards, so I do not envy the dilemma now faced by the reporters and editors at Maine Today Media.  No matter what lines they feed themselves before going to bed each night, each one of them also knows that they also are on a leash . . . a very tenuous leash.

But before you criticize reporters being on a leash, consider the plight earlier this month for the more than 50 employees at the Village Soup newspaper who were laid off when that group of weekly newspapers suddenly closed.

Being off the leash feels good, right up until you discover that you no longer have a bone to chew.

Extra, Extra! This is fargin’ war!

~ Randy Seaver ~ 3 Comments

Newspaper wars are the best kind of wars.

Typically, when newspapers go to war they are actually engaging in fierce competition.

That competition benefits both advertisers and readers.

In 2001, folks in the Biddeford-Saco area likely had no idea how lucky they were.

For a community with a population of less than 40,000, the region was being served by two daily newspapers and two weekly publications.

The Portland Press Herald had a full complement of reporters, photographers and editors stationed at their bureau on Main Street.

The Journal Tribune was still winning Maine Press Association awards and was the breeding ground for many of Maine’s best and most well-known reporters and editors, including Jack Beaudoin, Dennis Bailey, Lee Burnett, Bob Saunders, Gail Lemley and Mo Mehlsak.

David Flood, meanwhile, was busy building a small empire of weekly publications that stretched across York and Cumberland counties. The Biddeford-Saco-OOB Courier was the company’s  flagship publication.

A short while later, Current Publishing was formed and began distributing the Sun Chronicle, a weekly newspaper based in Saco.

Reporters, such as Kelley Bouchard of the Press Herald; and Josh Williamson of the Journal Tribune, were scrapping  for stories with yours truly.

Good times, baby! Real good times…for the journalists, and especially for the communities they were covering.

Flood was one of the original downtown cheerleaders. He immersed himself in the community. He was fiercely competitive. Still is.

I served as editor for all of Flood’s weekly publications, and published All Along the Watchtower in the Courier. I was fiercely competitive. Still am.

But the shifting economic landscape dealt a serious blow to the region’s media outlets.

The advent of internet journalism was just kicking into high gear. Remember, in 2001 Facebook meant your got your nose crushed in a big encyclopedia.

Twitter was something that city councilors did whenever former mayor Jim Grattelo walked into a room; and a “blog” was a stain comprised of 1/3 snot, 1/3 ketchup and 1/3 ink on your new shirt.

Today, those newspapers are barely more than shadows of their former selves.

The Journal Tribune was once again sold, this time to a Pennsylvania-based media conglomerate. The staff changed dramatically. Most of the institutional knowledge was sent packing in efforts to trim the bottom line.

Reporters were expected to do more with less, a trend that was happening all over the country and shows no signs of slowing.

Meanwhile, the Portland Press Herald was having its own financial problems. The paper was later sold (and more recently sold again). The Biddeford bureau was closed. Reporters from the state’s largest daily no longer attended council meetings in City Hall.

I left the Courier in 2005. Eric Wicklund, a veteran reporter at the Journal Tribune, was hired to replace me. That was the first sign that things were getting bad. A daily reporter was taking a job at a weekly.

Wicklund lasted a few months. Several editors came and went at the Courier.

In 2007, Flood sold his weekly newspapers to the same company that purchased the Journal Tribune and the Brunswick Times Record. He then started a political career.

David Flood

The Courier continued to shrink. Its new owners are not involved in the community. Reporters cover City Hall meetings from their homes, watching the meetings on television.

The Journal Tribune is running stories from Biddeford City Council meetings as much as six days later on their front-page. Why hurry? Who’s gonna scoop them?

Flash forward five years, and Flood is getting back into the game, stirring controversy by stepping down from the city council to restart his newspaper career.

On Thursday, the American Journal, one of the newspapers owned by Current Publishing, reported that Flood was tapped to be the publisher of its York County sister newspapers.

For the record, back in the old days (before Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook) I worked at the American Journal with Kate Irish Collins, who is now a senior reporter at the Chronicle and about to become one of Flood’s newest employees) Yes, it is a small, incestuous pool . . . this local journalism thing.

Flood, who also still owns the building that houses the Courier and its sister publications, told the Courier’s owners last week they would need to find a new home.

Apparently, Flood plans to move his newest publications into the building that he owns across the street from City Hall: the place where he built the Courier into a strong weekly paper will now be the place where he works to diminish the Courier.

This news did not go over well with the Courier’s employees, many of whom are former Journal Tribune employees.

It turns out that the Courier staff will soon be housed in the Journal Tribune’s Alfred Street headquarters, where they will ostensibly be one happy family, competing against a common enemy: David Flood.

Political implications

Meanwhile, Flood’s sudden resignation from the City Council has sparked other controversy, most notably from the chair of the Downtown Development Commission (DDC), Brian Keely.

Flood won his seat in November and now, less than 90 days later, will be leaving, forcing Mayor Alan Casavant to appoint a new councilor.

Flood is expected to formally announce his resignation at Tuesday’s city council meeting, but Keely is publicly questioning Flood’s motives.

Now here’s where it gets tricky:

Keely’s wife, Molly Lovell Keely, is the editor of the Courier, one of those people who will soon be looking for boxes, packing tape and a U-Haul.

Keely’s father, Vincent, ran and lost a bid for one of the  city council’s at-large spots in November.

Another member of the DDC is Grady Sexton. Grady’s son, Bill Sexton, ran and lost against Flood for the Ward 7 Council seat, finishing second in a three-way race that included Patricia Whitehurst.

On the DDC’s Facebook page, Keely, chair of the DDC, wrote: “… I don’t have any problem with Flood doing what he loves. I do have a big issue with the fact he ran for city office, knowing full well, he would take this new job and would have to resign as councilor. I believe he made fools of the people who supported him…”

Keely also compares Flood to Kim Khardashian, and then opines that Flood is simply trying to prop his ego after losing a 2009 mayoral bid to Joanne Twomey.

I could go into all the political maneuverings, pointing out that those who supported the idea of a racino and a third-term for Twomey are politically at odds with Mayor Alan Casavant and David Flood.

I could opine that Casavant ought to appoint someone from that political camp to fill Flood’s vacancy…. say Bill Sexton or someone else who lives in Ward Seven….but I want to watch a bit more….

They say that all politics are local; and I say local politics are some of the best politics.

Throw in a newspaper war, and well, … it just doesn’t get much better for a guy who blogs about local politics and media.

Somebody start the popcorn. It’s going to be a hell of a show….

And maybe, just maybe, the newspaper business will come back to life….it’s just too bad it took a war.

Let’s give ’em something to talk about

~ Randy Seaver ~ Leave a comment

Apparently, this blog is gaining traction, catching the attention of  local elected officials and political candidates, not to mention the reporters and editors who are paid to track them.

To even the most casual of observers, there is little doubt remaining about the enormous impact of social media upon the political landscape.

Whether it’s globally, nationally or right here in our own back yard, the power of social media has transformed the dynamics of political reporting.

Thanks to the mind-boggling innovation offered by the internet, and social media tools such as Facebook and Twitter, the political power that was once dominated by traditional media is now much more balanced and certainly more diverse.

Don’t believe me? Still think Facebook is for college kids looking to get laid; or that Twitter is an absolute waste of time?

Well, check this: Facebook played a pivotal role in ousting Hosni Mubarak from office. The former Egyptian President, who controlled state-run media and held office for more than four decades with an iron grip, never saw it coming.

Last summer, we  saw what some disgruntled folks equipped with I-Phones could accomplish when they decided to stand up to corporate America. Traditional, mostly corporate-owned, media outlets were forced to finally start covering issues surrounding the massive divide between the haves and have-nots.

Social media also has its downsides: a New York Congressman was forced from office after he got a bit carried away with his Twitter account; but every presidential campaign today leverages the power of social media to woo potential voters and donors.

On a more local level, former Biddeford Mayor Joanne Twomey admitted she was not very computer-savvy. Her opponent, however, embraced social media tools as part of a coordinated, strategic and — ultimately quite succesful — campaign to oust her from office.

So what now? How will mainstream media respond to the influx of new information and the competition unleashed by anyone with a modem and some motivation?

Will they innovate, duplicate or terminate?

We got some of the answers this week, and it’s important to remember that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

Take, for example, this week’s cover story in the Sun Chronicle: Primary battles signal State House shakeup by Kate Collins. In the lead graph of her Feb. 2 story, Collins writes: “Nancy Sullivan has done something rather unusual, and it appears that it’s not only set off a chain reaction, but also set the tongues of local political junkies wagging.”

Hmmm… Some 16 days earlier, this self-described “political junkie” posted a story about Sullivan taking on fellow Democrat Alan Casavant for the District 137 House seat.

A few days later, on Jan. 28, I posted a story about City Councilor Bob Mills’ announcement that he would challenge fellow Democrat State Rep. Megan Rochelo for her District 136 seat.

Just two days later, Mills posted a questionnaire that was e-mailed to him by reporter Kate Collins, asking why he was challenging Rochelo.

To be honest, Collins provided her readers with a much more in-depth story than anything you will ever find here. She took the time to talk to state Democratic party officials, a political science professor and local political observers. If — and I mean if — this blog inspired that story, then all the better for her readers who got the benefit of her excellent reporting. Then again, unlike me, she gets paid to write her stories.

But Collins is not the only local reporter watching this blog closely.

Molly Lovell Keely is the niece of a Saco City Councilor, spouse of my former co-host on the televised version of All Along the Watchtower; and the person who now sits at the editor’s desk I once occupied at the Biddeford-Saco Courier. In her Feb. 2 column (View From the Nest), Keely muses about the potential return of Joanne Twomey to Biddeford’s political arena, a subject we posted three days prior on January 30.

Keely then switches gears, mentioning two new blogs about Biddeford politics that she likes to follow, but she apparently “forgot” about this blog, even though she is a subscriber, “likes us” on our Facebook page and checks in almost daily to see what we’re writing about.

Kudos, however, to Keely for giving props to newly elected City Councilor Brad “Cub Scout” Cote for his rather informative blog about the city council; and for mentioning Bill Moriarity, newly elected School Committee member, for his blog about the school committee’s work.

By the way, you can find links to both of the new blogs on our “Biddeford on the Web” section, located in the right hand column of our blog.

You see, there is no such thing as “too much information.”

We encourage more people to blog about politics. Send us your link, and we’ll give it a shout-out here.

The people of Biddeford are indeed fortunate to have two weekly newspapers and two daily newspapers covering local news. More competition is always good for consumers, and the addition of new bloggers represents a significant bonus for those of you who live, work and play in Biddeford.

If community leaders are also actively engaged in keeping you informed about your community, then we should expect nothing less from the pros who get paid to keep watch over the city and the people who have been given the public’s trust.

P.S. The day after I ribbed City Councilor Brad “Cub Scout” Cote about his boring job and dull Facebook page, he changed his profile picture to a mugshot of the A-Team’s Mr. T.

Just goes to prove what Margaret Mead once famously said: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”

I surrender

~ Randy Seaver ~ Leave a comment

I had a crappy day yesterday.

First, I dropped my Blackberry in the toilet; then my dog got run over by a Wal-Mart truck on Lamothe Avenue; and then I learned that Laura has been having an affair with Newt Gingrinch.

Okay, I may be exaggerating just a bit (Laura, however, still stumbles when I ask where she spent last night. She claims she was in Bangor, but we all know that is code for something far more sinister)

But on top of everything else, my long-held dream of being inducted into the Maine Press Association’s Hall of Fame were destroyed by a brilliant, intrepid former weekly newspaper reporter with far too much time on his hands.

Josh Bodwell, a man who never hesitates to throw his intellectual weight around and make snide comments about those who have the temerity to disagree with him, was understandably upset when I opined last week that he has an over-inflated ego; and it may be the reason why some members of the Biddeford City Council voted against his nomination to serve on the Charter Review Commission (See: Exile in Guyville, aka The Bodwell Incident).

Yesterday, Bodwell posted a comment on another of my blog posts about the former Lincoln Mill Clock Tower, noting that he had taken the time to call the Maine Press Association to inquire about a statement I made in that post. (See: Seaver was wrong: then and now)

Bodwell, who today serves as the executive director of the Maine Writers & Publishers Alliance, is none too impressed with either my writing or my publishing. It could also be, as Laura pointed out, that Mr. Bodwell is in serious need of a hobby. Or maybe I should have joined this organization whose mission statement says something about “supporting Maine writers.”

Randy Seaver reacts after reading Josh Bodwell’s e-mail to the Maine Press Association

In a rather heated Facebook debate that Mr. Bodwell engaged in with a friend of mine a few weeks ago, Josh trotted out his previous journalism award from the Maine Press Association to clearly demonstrate his superior intellect and uncanny ability to spot nefarious subject matters from a mile away.

It should be noted that the Maine Press Association gives out many such distinguished awards each year to outstanding journalists who are also…wait for it…dues-paying members of the Maine Press Association.

It should also be pointed out that I was asked four years ago to serve as a  judge for the annual Maine Press Awards. I was asked to read through a series of selected sports stories that appeared in both daily and weekly newspapers from all over Maine during the previous year.

Me judging sports stories makes absolutely no sense, especially when considering that during my brief stint as a sports reporter I had to ask a girls’ softball coach to explain what “striking out the side” means.

During a football game, when the announcer says, something about the “special” teams, I wonder if those are the really good players.

But, as usual, I digress…Bodwell got his panties all in a knot because of an incident I recalled while writing the Clock Tower post. It was an incident that happened more than 10 years ago, you know…during the last century.

I mentioned that the Journal Tribune (then a fierce competitor of the Courier) published a silly, front-page story about my appointment to Biddeford’s Downtown Development Commission while..(gasp)..serving as the editor of the Courier.

Thumbs up to the Journal Tribune for inquiring about the story during the same year it happened. It took Mr. Bodwell, prize-winning journalist, a mere 12 years to catch on to a story about me that I published on my blog 12 years later. Wow.

Actually, Josh and the folks at the MPA are right. It’s always better if journalists are as objective as possible, an opinion I expressed when I resigned from the DDC some 18 months after I was appointed.

But since we’re on the subject, let’s take another look at the DDC.

Mr. Bodwell is not a big fan of the very important and all-powerful and influential Downtown Development Commission; and it should be noted that when I served on the commission it was doing little more than having monthly meetings to talk about flower plantings and an annual Christmas festival. (Heady, weighty stuff….quick, someone call David Broder or Bob Woodward)

I was living and working downtown. All my friends were on the commission, and I wanted to smoke cigars with them on every third Monday night of the month.  A couple other points should be considered:

  • All DDC meetings were open to the public
  • The DDC had no authority, serving only as an advisory committee to the city council.
  • If I had not joined the DDC, their meetings would have continued being ignored by the media and just about everyone else.
  • Finally, during my brief tenure on the DDC, the citizens of Biddeford were well represented by far better reporters from both the Journal Tribune and Portland Press Herald. Those reporters would laugh if their editors ever asked them to cover a DDC meeting.

Perhaps it is wrong of me to think that my deeply disturbing lack of journalistic values and integrity would ever come back to haunt me, but I take some small measure of solace from my own journalism award: a plaque given to me for “exceptional coverage of South Portland girls’ softball in 1998.”

That last part is not a joke. That award is hanging on my office wall, a wonderful reminder of the greatest job I ever had and an amazing team of girls who would probably beat the crap out of Josh Bodwell if I asked.

But it’s okay, I know how to admit when I make a mistake.