Building the Trust: Leslie Bridgers, columnist capturing what matters in Maine

The National Trust for Local News’ mission comes to life through the work of the teams on the ground at each of our state trusts. In our ongoing Building the Trust feature, we highlight the people at the forefront of constructing a new model for local news.

Leslie Bridgers' most recent column in the Portland Press Herald about a man who visited all 454 cities & towns in Maine -- all for something to say in his obituary.

As a columnist for the Portland Press Herald, Leslie Bridgers shares her unique take on local happenings, from street bands playing in protests, to businesses striking against ICE to AI’s “Most Maine Man in the World.”

And then there is the column she wrote in July, which may be one of her favorites: “Of course millennials killed U-Pick farms,” about how some U-Pick fields closed to the public despite high demand.

A 15-year veteran of the Portland Press Herald, Bridgers has built an impressive career covering local communities. Her experience spans reporting in small towns, writing in-depth features, working on investigations, editing the Maine Today magazine, serving as features editor, and most recently, writing as a features columnist.

She started writing columns just over a year ago, and already is driving a strong audience to the website.

“Early on, I very much leaned on reporting, and I still do, because that’s what I know,” she said.

A native of Connecticut, she graduated from Bowdoin College in Maine with an English degree, and never left the state.

Bridgers didn’t know what she wanted to do after college, and spent a semester at the Salt Institute for Documentary Studies, in part to postpone the inevitable job search. It ended up launching her career as a journalist.

A professor at the Salt Institute suggested she might like working for a community newspaper.

“I sent my resume and my work from that program to every newspaper in Maine, big and small,” she said.

She got one call back, from a group of weekly papers in Westbrook. It was there that she covered several towns, and credits “great editors and mentors who, through their feedback, taught me how to do the job and made me want to keep working in a newsroom.”

From there she moved to the Morning Sentinel in Waterville. Less than a year later, she landed a job at the Portland Press Herald, where she has worked for 15 years.

Bridgers doesn’t just write columns – she pitches in wherever she’s needed. She helped track tips during January’s stepped-up ICE presence in Portland, and also coordinates the summer internship program.

In her newest role, she enjoys reflecting on what folks are talking about and offering information that provokes deeper thought.

“I really get to write about the conversations that people are having among themselves and put it into context,” she said. “That’s my job, that’s my role.”