Maine Newspapers Face Struggles Under National Trust Ownership Amid Financial Challenges

PORTLAND, Maine — In a significant transition in 2023, the nonprofit National Trust for Local News acquired the Portland Press Herald, The Sun Journal, and 20 other newspapers across Maine. This move was celebrated by employees who viewed it as a lifeline amidst a declining industry. The new owners committed to preserving Maine journalism jobs while navigating modernization.

However, after a year and a half under the National Trust’s stewardship, these Maine papers are grappling with serious financial strain. Executives have admitted to needing to reevaluate operations, indicating that staff reductions could be on the table. “We can’t say that there will be staffing impacts in the near future, but tough decisions may be required for sustainability,” stated Stefanie Manning, managing director for the Maine Trust.

The National Trust, established in Colorado in 2021 with $38 million in charitable funding, has ambitious goals. It currently oversees 65 papers in Maine, Colorado, and Georgia, and hoped to expand its footprint to 10 states within five years. However, those aspirations seem at odds with the mounting difficulties faced by the Maine papers, which include cuts to freelance budgets and reduced print sizes.

Megan Gray, president of the News Guild of Maine, expressed initial optimism about the acquisition. “We took a huge amount of heart in the fact that the National Trust’s mission is to support local news,” she said. Yet, like many of her colleagues, she now harbors concerns about the organization’s approach to solving systemic financial challenges.

According to internal reports, the Maine Trust reported losses exceeding $500,000 in 2024, driven primarily by a plummet in print advertising revenues despite a rise in digital subscriptions. The Press Herald, which employs nearly 50 journalists, along with other local papers, has not been immune to these trends.

Changes have already been implemented, including page reductions in weekday editions and cuts to freelance budgets. Executive editor Carolyn Fox of the Press Herald confirmed that while some print reductions were reversed, other papers did not see similar restorations. “For right now, I just implore everybody to think really hard about the work that you do and how it contributes to our bottom line,” Manning urged staff in December.

The National Trust has initiated a transformation fund, raising nearly $4 million for structural improvements and hiring consultants. Manning emphasized that while fundraising was focused on transformation, it was not intended to underwrite the operating budget of the Maine papers.

Despite raises negotiated by the News Guild of Maine—at least 3 percent for the Press Herald staff and 7 percent for the Morning Sentinel—journalists continue to express dissatisfaction with their compensation. Data reveals that average salaries are $56,277 for reporters in Portland and $43,503 for those at the Morning Sentinel, despite the much higher compensation received by some national executives.

The disruption in the industry has caused a ripple effect, leading to concerns about the future of local news outlets. Carl Sheline, the mayor of Lewiston, once hopeful when the National Trust took over, now fears for the papers’ sustainability. “The idea was that this was going to provide a path forward for the paper. Instead, I’m hearing about potential layoffs,” he remarked.

As the Maine papers confront these challenges, employees remain hopeful but are left questioning if the National Trust’s model will deliver a viable solution. The ongoing situation illustrates the hurdles in maintaining local journalism amidst the pressures of a rapidly changing media landscape.