The Bangor Daily News’ award-winning investigative team will soon be under the leadership of two veteran journalists.
Michael Shepherd will become the politics and investigations editor, where he’ll oversee the politics team and Maine Focus, the BDN’s investigations team. Callie Ferguson will be promoted to deputy investigations editor and manage the Maine Focus team day to day.
“We’re so excited for Mike and Callie, who are two of Maine’s smartest and most respected journalists,” Executive Editor Dan MacLeod said. “They’ve broken some of the biggest and most impactful stories in the state for the better part of the last decade. Their well deserved promotions underscore the BDN’s dedication to investigative journalism that upholds our civic mission.”
Shepherd and Ferguson begin their new roles May 5.
Erin Rhoda, a founder of Maine Focus, leaves the BDN May 2.
The BDN hired Rhoda in 2012 without a clear idea of what her role would be, because she was too much of an “immensely talented reporter” to not have on staff, President Todd Benoit said. That talent can be seen in the care she has for the subjects of stories, the drive to get the story right and the in-depth articles that make life better in Maine.
Shepherd joined the BDN nearly a decade ago and his reporting has made state and nationwide impacts in the years since, MacLeod said.
“One of the reasons I came to work at the BDN almost 10 years ago was its ambition,” Shepherd said. “Not many newspapers of our size across the country have an investigative team. The fact that we do is a testament to our leadership and the dogged work from Erin, Callie and the other members of the Maine Focus team over the years.”
Ferguson will continue writing her own articles while supporting Maine Focus reporters Sawyer Loftus and Lori Valigra as they work on major projects, MacLeod said.
She joined the BDN in 2017 and is responsible for some of the paper’s most compelling stories, from her investigations of the Maine State Police and the Maine National Guard to her deep coverage of Maine’s juvenile justice system, MacLeod said.
“There has never been a more important time for investigative journalism and I feel lucky to have found a newsroom that has long understood its value,” Ferguson said. “Mainers deserve reporting that uncovers essential information that could affect their daily lives, deepens their understanding of pressing issues, and holds power to account. If you have a story like that, we’d love to hear from you.”
