Carolyn Fox is the executive editor of the Maine Trust for Local News, which publishes the Kennebec Journal, Morning Sentinel, Portland Press Herald, Sun Journal and 15 community newspapers.
An unexpected side effect of being a journalist for the past 20 years is how often family and friends seek me out for reassurance that everything is going to be OK.
Wherever they fall on the political spectrum, the people close to me seem to think my work, especially now leading a newsroom, means I have some inside information on how things will play out in the world.
When these questions pop up, I try to soothe their worries while being honest: I don’t have all of the answers. I say that yes, my colleagues and I get a front-row seat to the worst and best of humanity. On most days, though, we see everything in the middle. And from the middle, we are rewarded with vital perspective.
In my opinion, the best journalists work from the gray area. They understand that no story, no issue, is as black and white as people want it to be. They question everything, including their editors. And they find some measure of empathy for almost everyone.
Unfortunately, today’s political climate encourages the opposite, demanding people have an extreme take. We hear from readers on both the left and the right who have gotten violent threats because they contributed to the Letters section or posted responses to our stories online. Some have received calls and emails suggesting the trolls “know where they live.” The people making these threats are not operating from the gray.
As we navigated the early days of the ICE operation in our state, last week was a challenging one for our newsroom. While many of our readers have expressed fear and anger at the deployment of federal agents into their communities, others have told us that they’re encouraged by what they feel is an appropriate program of law enforcement and believe that the agency should be left alone to do its work.
As such, we have been both applauded and criticized by members of the public — some people thanking us, some berating us.
Some decisions are straightforward: We’ve sent our dedicated reporters and photographers across the state in an attempt to ensure nothing gets by us. Others, to do with labeling and presentation of this news, open us to criticism. Some subscribers say we’re recklessly endangering members of law enforcement. Others have been so unhappy with our coverage, and the priority we’ve given it, that they are no longer subscribers.
We’ve also seen an uptick in donations, subscriptions and notes of praise. I’ll share here the words of a reader who emailed our managing editor Wednesday morning.
“I truly appreciate your bold move to include a red banner on your front page for ICE activity reports. I know everything is an editorial decision and this current statewide situation is fraught with many considerations. Now that the ICE surge is ‘for real’ with numerous disturbing traffic stops, raids and arrests yesterday, this is a top critical issue for every Mainer,” read the email. “Thank you. It’s what Mainers want and need from our major press source.”
We don’t do this work for the compliments, to anger people or to put people in danger. We’d cover a large increase in federal law enforcement in our state no matter the purpose of those agents’ actions. It’s our job to hold those in powerful positions accountable. And ICE has a lot of power in this country right now.
We are the watchdogs. This is a position we hold with pride. Our job — keeping an eye on this rapidly changing democracy — is as important as it’s ever been. So although we don’t have all the answers, we’ll keep asking the questions.
No matter what side you associate with, or whether you appreciate our coverage or not, we’re here working in the gray for you, the people of Maine. And we’ll continue doing that, no matter how loud it gets on either side.