Local newspapers are vital to the civic health of America’s small towns –– but local papers are a vanishing breed, leaving “news deserts” in many parts of Maine and the country. Does this matter? Research has found that when a local newspaper disappears, what follows is a decline in civic engagement of citizens and increases in local government waste, corruption, and political polarization.

What are Maine’s leading news organizations doing to counter this trend? Join Lisa DeSisto, CEO and publisher of the Maine Trust for Local News, Maine Monitor Executive Director Micaela Schweitzer-Bluhm, and Bangor Daily News Director of Development Jo Easton at Lunt Auditorium, 74 Lunt Road in Falmouth, on Nov. 20 for an in-depth and timely discussion, moderated by former Boston Globe editor Matt Storin, hosted by OceanView at Falmouth and presented by the Camden Conference. There will be a Community Reception with refreshments from 6 to 6:30 p.m., followed by the panel discussion from 6:30 to 8.

This special event is free and open to all. Advanced registration is encouraged: REGISTER.

This event ties in with the upcoming Camden Conference, "Democracy Under Threat: A Global Perspective," scheduled for Feb. 21-23. It is presented live at the Camden Opera House and livestreamed to the Strand Theatre in Rockland and the Lunt Auditorium as well as to homes and classrooms worldwide.

 The Camden Conference is a nonprofit, non-partisan, volunteer-driven citizens' forum with the mission of fostering informed discourse on world issues. Year-round public engagement includes community events and student education programs. For more information please visit camdenconference.org