Two months ago in this space, I wrote about why I work at the Anchor and what I like about my work. My goal was to draw attention to the Anchor’s search for a full-time reporter and to attract candidates who believe in our vision for a nonprofit community newspaper.
We now have our full-time reporter and I couldn’t be happier about the outcome of our search. J. Craig Anderson has the experience and skills to help us elevate the Anchor’s journalism — and he already is, with his reporting on the Harpswell Coastal Academy auction.
So what will the Anchor do with two full-time journalists on staff?
When I started work at the Anchor in June 2021, I heard questions about how we would fill a newspaper, particularly during the winter. The truth is, I never worry about what we’ll report on next. There is always a backlog of news I want to cover. There are always more stories than there is time.
My first priority for our reinforced news staff is to cover the public school system with more consistency and in more depth.
We will continue to cover the budget, changes in leadership in the schools and the superintendent’s office, and whatever subject the school board is debating, but education does not happen at board meetings. I want to take readers into the schools to learn what the students are learning, to meet the people responsible for this learning.
My next priority is to do more in-depth coverage of important issues in the community, like the “Development and the Harpswell Environment” report in the May edition.
My third priority, as time allows, is to selectively expand our coverage beyond Harpswell. Harpswell news will always take precedence, but we know readers want us to cover news that matters to them, even if it happens outside the town’s borders. We have no desire to compete with The Times Record on day-to-day news of the region, but we would like to supplement the good work they do and report some stories that might otherwise go unreported.
As always, if you have a news tip or any feedback for the Anchor newsroom, contact me at joliver@harpswellanchor.org.
J.W. Oliver
Editor, Harpswell Anchor
