The Bangor Daily News launched The Point in November 2014 with a simple goal in mind: explain — as in, really explain — critical Maine issues and why they matter.
Since then, our talented staff has delivered some of the most insightful, engaging and compelling reporting on Maine politics and public policy. Policy experts have contributed valuable, firsthand knowledge to help all of us better understand complicated issues. And The Point has brought together the BDN’s top political bloggers and up-to-date political news in one place.
The point behind The Point is to get beyond the noise of the day’s debates and focus instead on what’s at stake.
In recent months, BDN writers have closely tracked the key debates that have taken hold since Gov. Paul LePage began a new term and a new Legislature took the oath of office. The Point has delivered close analysis that breaks down these debates and their effect on the daily lives of Maine residents.
And The Point’s focus hasn’t only been the politics of Augusta. It has offered deep looks at the challenges facing Maine’s university system, the likely effects of boosting the minimum wage within Bangor city limits, what a new national park would mean for the Bangor and Katahdin regions, and why the lobster is surging in the Gulf of Maine and what it means for those in Maine who depend on the ocean for their livelihood.
The public response to these stories has been encouraging and gratifying, so The Point is expanding.
— The Point will regularly feature new varieties of content that stretch beyond the conventional article.
Want to keep track of an important event as it happens? Live blogs will provide instant analysis.
Want to understand important but seemingly impenetrable documents that are making waves in political debate? The Point will regularly break them down and annotate them so you don’t have to read every word.
Want to know what to make of a key, high-profile speech? The Point will help out with that, too, providing those need-to-know notes in the margins.
Want to know what everyone else is saying about hot-button issues? The Point will regularly highlight the most insightful comments from BDN readers.
Interested in what we’re reading as we research? A weekly “What we’re reading” list will show you just that.
— A growing stable of policy experts will share their unique expertise on issues that matter to Maine.
— Design changes to The Point homepage will make it easier to find recently published and related content. More design improvements to come in the next couple of months.
— The Daily Brief email newsletter from BDN political reporters Christopher Cousins and Mario Moretto will expand to include more The Point content, bringing readers a daily dose of developments in Augusta along with a taste of important stories beyond the State House walls.
— Interested in what you just read? It will become easier to find related, recent and relevant content.
In other words, we’ve listened to your comments — most, but not all, positive — and in response, we’re building The Point into the place you turn to when you need to know about news that matters. That’s The Point.
Matthew Stone, editor