By Carol McCracken (Post # 509)

Two years ago today, I started the munjoyhillnews.com. It’s start-up was motivated by an annoying lack of local news. So often I was puzzled and frustrated by the failure of important stories to be covered by the local press. This on-line (only) news service became a way to be sure those other news items were reported as well. It’s working!

And it appears that MHN.com will continue to have a role in delivering local news for some time to come. Richard Connor, owner of the “Portland Press Herald” in the July isue of “Down East” magazine said: “I think the A -section of the newspaper needs to be a snapshot of what happened that day in history, because somebody will save that paper,” he says. “When I was doing this in the seventies, every story I edited in the paper was local, but now I’ve reversed on that.” There is much more to ponder in this feature story written by Colin Woodard that starts on page 19. (Woodard wrote “The Lobster Coast.”)

Meanwhile, back at MHN.com, since last June several changes have taken place here. They are of a technical nature – something that MHN.com knows Very Little about. Just that it loves the results. Fortunately, it has a first rate webmaster: Peter Beattie. He’s Super Talented. He’s Super Patient with this severly challenged computer user. First, the headliner was updated by adding green and blue colors to give the home page much more appeal and interest. Then Peter added space for advertising as well. (Please notice that advertising rates have been slashed in half!) More recently, Peter linked MHN.com to Facebook.com. Readership continues to head up, up and away; currently there have been 32,000 views. Please visit Peter’s website at www.mainemediapros.com.

To celebrate this milestone in the history of munjoyhillnews.com., it’s taking a few days off – enough to find a patch of sunshine somewhere in which to read a book just published this year: “The Death and Life of American Journalism,” by Robert W. McChesney and John Nichols. I’ll let you know if this is worth adding to your summer reading pile as well!

Cheers and thank you for your on-going support. It’s appreciated!

Carol