Well done BDN. Don't listen to your critics, you've provided great news service to the community.

Congrats, BDN! I am based in DC (but originally from Maine) and am impressed with your coverage and writers. I use the BDN website to keep in touch with the issues affecting Maine. Your coverage of Referendum Question 1 on marriage equality was particulary good. Keep up the good work!

The BDN knows better than to take the advise "don't listen to critics" or at least it used to.

The paper is a compact limited reach news gathering organization serving primarily its local readers, and advertisers. It is a good paper, and I've read it since the late 1960s. When I'm out of the area, I find that I miss the BDN.

There are some soft points. I wish the paper put more effort into investigative reporting. Citizens need a voice talking honestly about entrenched societal icons. The DHHS needs a watchdog, Olympia Snowe needs a paper which reports her scofflaw parking habits, and the city of Bangor needs a force to be sure that it does not succumb to the second law of thermodynamics. Marshal Stone, John Day, and Mark Woodward did this.

Now it is a new day, people don't read newspapers like they used to. people get their "news" from TV, talk radio, and increasingly the internet. Of course good newspaper people know that most of that static is not true "news" at all, it is largly opinion, or "push politics", so the question is what will medium sized dailies do to keep up?

My answer would be to provide "NEWS" in its truest form. Get off the polite mild puff stories, and delve into the truth.. who knows, maybe people would buy a hard hitting fair and honest (please note I did not say "balanced") news source that they could trust. We are sure not getting that from any other source.

So now we find out; Is the new generation at the NEWS going to give us something of their own? Or are they going to ride on past performance until the doors close and the lights go off. I'll always read the BDN, but I'm old, and I grew up with newspapers like the World Telegram, The New York Herald, and AM. You're going to need a new hook for the younger folks, so why not try something unavailable from any other source. Why not listen to Danial Webster "There is nothing so powerful as the truth" (You can't use that on your masthead as it's already taken)

Nice commentary Harry. I too, don't want to be without a newspaper.The local reporters do a great job, however, seldom does the local hard working reporters get any such recognition. And, as you may have noticed, there are about three that cover almost every subject under the sun, and do it well. That is tough duty. There is plenty of news to cover, however, fewer reporters to do same. Also, as you mentioned, the investigative angle is gone, forever I think. Even the New York Times, does little of that, and if they do, they cannot seem to get by the editorializing in their news stories. Pitiful, liberal rag it is..I wonder how much longer that 'paper' can survive is a question that crosses many a bright mind. You have probably noticed, that there are some articles in print by the News, that doesn't make their web pages. I assume that is to draw people to buy the paper one way or another. Then again, they seem to have been disabling web page articles, that draw some wild opinions from some. Real crazies, as you know. Except you and me Harry..So, congratulations to the Bangor Daily News. Hope there are no layoff's in the offing. Larry T. Doughty, South Brewer, larrytdoughty@yahoo.com, www.ourstory.com/larrytdoughty/

Too bad that self congratulatory awards for Liberal puff pieces don't improve the bottom line.

BDN's politically correct agenda will continue to alienate half of its potential readers.

Keep on beating the activist drum for Global Warming, Homosexual Marriage, "Green" Jobs and Government take over of Health Care.

what a joke, this is hilarious

no no JoeDoe, you are hilarious...

Congrats to the BDN and staff for recognition and honors given....agree with HHS have been reading the BDN for many years and do appreciate the local based news organizations although I do also read daily a couple of national news papers and listen to the news medias on television......Larry, also have noticed the comments being "disabled" at times and mostly this is when it involves ongoing criminal cases or when certain posters become involved in a "personal" battle one with the other, so sometimes maybe best to do it....I still feel that if comments are truly inappropriate then they should be removed along with the ones posting such comments.....again keep up the work BDN!

I have read newspapers for many decades and the BDN is hands down one of the best around and competition for much larger newspapers. I would recommend reading some other papers from New England like the Boston Herald, Boston Globe, Manchester Union Leader, Portland Press Herald, and Burlington Free Press to get a real appreciation of the fine work that this paper does. It can't be all things to all people, but still does a great job.

For many years I had the Manchester Union Leader delivered along with the BDN. I really liked the contrast (now long gone as papers homogenize) Back when Billy Loeb and Nackey Scripps ran the paper it was something to behold. The front Page editorials slapped down anyone who crossed the editor's cross-hairs, and he really didn't care much if they had a "R" or a "D" next to their name. Ike Eisenhower, John Kennedy, Henry Kissinger, and Ed Muskie were all skewered by the sharpened pencil at the editors desk.. Some people claim that Bill was a bit over the top (he called Kissinger a "k!ke" in one of his editorials and John Kennedy "the No. 1 liar in the United States" in another) neither of these editorials would pass muster with the Unionleader's publisher today, but when I (briefly) worked for that paper, I found Mr. Loeb was nothing like his editorials. He told one staff member (who later wrote the book "Who the Hell is William Loeb") that a paper had to have a "hook" to draw readers in. Mr Loeb also publisher ALL letters he received from readers. Liberal, conservative, Republican or Democrat. I really loved that paper... Not much news, but one hell of a show!

The BDN does a very good job given the size of its reporting staff. I read much larger publications/staff that don't do nearly as good a job as the BDN. All papers can improve, but I congratulate the BDN for its professionalism and talented reporters.