I would like to express my gratitude to Donald Sussman for being willing to invest in MaineToday Media.

My hope is that he actually will turn out to be active in helping them be more balanced in both their reporting and especially their enormously far-right-slanted editorial page.

Unlike Sen. Roger Katz’ concerns, I think the credibility of the paper never has been an issue with the current owner/management. The editorial page has become far more conservative and opinionated with far fewer actual letters based on substantiated information. The lone, standout exception being the excellent and unfortunately occasional commentary by Mike Tipping.

I’ve never met Katz, even though I am a voter living in his district; but as he says about Sussman, “he is, by all accounts, a good man.. I think I would like him.”

What is relevant is Katz’ intent and purpose in questioning Sussman’s business dealings, relationships and charitable contributions. It seems quite obvious that Katz is planning trying to move up in the political world and needs to get his name in the news and spruce up his conservative credentials. What office is he running for next?

If Katz really is concerned about these issues, why hasn’t he spoken up about all the times the MaineToday Media has picked up and used unsubstantiated drivel from the secretly funded Maine Heritage Foundation “policy center,” or super PACS, or the influence of money in politics in so many other ways.

Those are real, valid and important issues about which the senator should speak out if he’s serious about the issues of a free media and the influence of money in the press and politics.

John Soifer

South China