Mayor hopeful launches politically focused newspaper
A mayoral candidate and taxi-cab driver in Portland has launched a new newspaper called The Portland Maine Gazette. The first 5,000 copies of the free weekly were distributed Friday.
Charles Bragdon says he started the newspaper, which has a masthead reading, "Portland's politically incorrect weekly newspaper," to offer readers different perspectives on local issues and print stories that don't get enough coverage in his view.
The first issue contains profiles of four of the 16 candidates running to be Portland's first elected mayor since 1923, including a piece on Bragdon, which is more publicity than he's received elsewhere. "I'm the most ignored mayoral candidate running," he says, calling himself a moderate Independent. "They've run stories on everyone except me so far."
Bragdon says he included the candidates' profiles to squelch any impression that he's using the newspaper as a plug for his campaign.
Although he's looking for advertisers and would like the paper to be financially sustainable, he says the primary motive is to "give something to people they don't have." He says the first issue's advertising covered the costs of printing.
Future issues will include articles on local issues, businesses, events, artisans, writers and politics. "Our focus will be politics, with a lot of political satire," Bragdon says.
Most Recent
Most Recent
Comments