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Why not grab one of each at a store, check out the content, and see which you prefer?

Alternately, see if either offer a free week or something before subscribing online (when you choose one, just cancel the other)

I don't have money to do such things, but that's what I'd do if I did.

Portland Press Herald has more articles/political content/editorial letters etc but obviously has much more of a focus on Portland/Southern Maine. Local development and city politics are covered pretty heavily.

BDN has a wider angle looking at the state and carries more local news to your area, Ellsworth, downeast etc.

It's getting unusual that a state with Maine's population has two sort-of-statewide newspapers of such relatively high quality. Many states are lucky to have one and some really don't have any.

I live on MDI, and I subscribe to the PPH and the NY Times. The BDN is okay, but I never find much to read there that isn't found elsewhere for free. Emily Burnham and Aislinn Sarnacki are the exceptions, though.

If you live in Rockland you want to get the Courier Gazette and The Free Press for local coverage. My family who lives in the Rockland area prefer BDN, but either is fine for statewide issues. BDN does have more coverage on things happening east of the Kennebec river though. 👍

The BDN basically reprints every single one of Susan Collins press releases verbatim and is where all the right-wing nutcases go to get their fact-free opinion pieces published.

They have decent local coverage but that's overshadowed by their willingness to do damage control for psychopaths.

Saranski i know personally, she is an AirBNB baroness and stuck up as hell. The one reason I don't like BDN

Neither

Quality of reporting on BDN is better IMO. PPH feels dumbed down.

If you know her personally then why do you not know how to spell her name?

What was the newspaper to which you subscribed before moving here?

I was/am subscribed to the NY Times

Ok thanks, that's what my general understanding of the situation was

Good point, I'll probably try subscribing to both for a bit

Thanks for the tip, I'll check out the two you mentioned

Seconded on Free Press for some good local political content and events. It’s quite good (and the best fire starting paper around).

Honestly, I think it's worth it to have both even though it's expensive for two. I've tried having just one or the other and it's frustrating. About a quarter of their coverage overlaps, but it's the other three quarters that's of interest. I'm in York County but from eastern Maine, so I want eastern Maine coverage. PPH is oriented almost exclusively to Portland/Cumberland County plus decent statehouse coverage, while BDN does better statewide of the two and has good political coverage. Between NYT and WashPo for national coverage, I think you've picked the right one.

The BDN tends to be where you'll see right-wing takes, so it depends how you feel about that.

Hey thanks! We create lots of original content every day, FYI.

Oh, I know you do ! We grab a paper every couple of days each week. Fun Fact : You actually interviewed me once with a photographer outside the Cross Center after I got a Covid shot...thankfully, my mug never showed up in the paper !!!

If you’re in Knox County you’ll want the BDN. It’s one of the last locally, family owned newspapers in the country :( Worth supporting.