Депутат Трой Джексон и его союзник из профсоюза высмеяли журналистов The Maine Wire, не зная, что те присутствуют на мероприятии

At Monday’s Labor Day gathering in Brewer, Dave Sullivan, General Vice President of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers’ Eastern Territory, had praise for the media covering Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Troy Jackson. “The press has been great,” Sullivan said. Then Sullivan turned his attention to The Maine Wire, mocking the outlet as the “Maine Crier.” “We are happy they are not here,” Sullivan added. There was just one problem. We were. A Maine Wire reporter had walked right into the event and was standing there listening as Sullivan praised “the press,” mocked The Maine Wire by name and expressed relief that he believed the outlet was nowhere to be seen. The moment might have been funny if it did not raise a more serious question about the kind of media environment Jackson and his political allies apparently prefer. If “the press has been great,” what exactly does Sullivan mean by “great”? And does Jackson benefit from a press corps willing to accommodate his campaign narrative while a more critical outlet is treated differently? Sullivan is not simply a local labor activist. IAM identifies him as its General Vice President for the Eastern Territory, a senior leadership position within the international union. He joined the IAM Executive Council in that role in 2022 after serving as Eastern Territory Chief of Staff. Sullivan’s labor career began at Bath Iron Works in Maine, where he worked as a shipbuilder before rising through IAM leadership. His political involvement is also relevant. Just weeks before the Brewer event, Sullivan addressed an IAM Eastern States Machinists Conference focused heavily on the 2026 midterm elections. IAM reported that Sullivan called the coming election “the election of our lifetime,” while union leaders discussed efforts to mobilize members and elect candidates they consider pro-labor. So when one of organized labor’s senior political voices praises “the press” and then mocks a critical news outlet in the same breath, it is fair to ask what separates the press Sullivan considers “great” from the press he is apparently happy to see absent. The Maine Wire has had a very different experience covering Jackson. At Jackson’s Sept. 1 “Solidarity Forever” town hall at the Franco Center in Lewiston, this reporter followed the registration process, scanned the required QR code and submitted the requested information. Other journalists were admitted. The Maine Wire was not. Two days later in Gorham, Jackson once again placed an empty chair on stage for Republican Sen. Susan Collins as part of his campaign’s effort to portray the incumbent as unwilling to show up and face voters. The Maine Wire showed up. We still were not allowed inside. That contradiction matters because Jackson has made accessibility a central feature of his Senate campaign. He has repeatedly argued that Collins should appear before voters in the town-hall format he prefers. Yet a candidate cannot credibly make access a defining political issue without inviting questions about who receives access to his own campaign. Especially when a critical outlet repeatedly shows up and is repeatedly kept outside. That is why Sullivan’s Brewer comments are more significant than a cheap nickname. Calling The Maine Wire the “Maine Crier” may get a laugh from a friendly Labor Day crowd. It does not explain the exclusions. It does not explain why other reporters were welcomed while Maine Wire journalists were denied entry. And it does not explain why Jackson has not simply addressed the questions directly. If “the press has been great,” great how? Great because reporters have covered Jackson extensively? Great because his working-class campaign message has received significant attention? Great because the coverage has been favorable? Or great because some reporters simply have not challenged the candidate in ways Sullivan or Jackson’s supporters find uncomfortable? Does Jackson want a press corps that scrutinizes his record as aggressively as it scrutinizes Collins? Or does his campaign benefit from an accommodating press that amplifies the working-class message while asking fewer uncomfortable questions? The Maine Wire has examined Jackson’s legislative record, his affordability claims, energy policy votes, campaign strategy and his attacks on Collins. That is the job. Candidates make arguments. Opponents challenge them. Journalists examine both. Voters make the final judgment. A reporter’s responsibility is not to make a candidate comfortable. And a politician seeking a seat in the United States Senate should not expect comfort from the press. Around The Maine Wire newsroom, we have joked that we appear to be “living rent free” in the minds of Democratic political operatives. Monday in Brewer did little to kill that joke. Sullivan was standing on stage talking about The Maine Wire when he apparently believed The Maine Wire was not even there. “We are happy they are not here,” he said. Meanwhile, a Maine Wire reporter was standing right there, listening. The irony is difficult to improve upon. Jackson wants Maine voters to know that he shows up. The Maine Wire has been showing up, too. Lewiston. Gorham. Portland. Brewer. In Brewer, we even showed up to hear one of Jackson’s labor allies celebrate our supposed absence. So Sullivan’s comments leave a pair of straightforward questions. When Dave Sullivan says “the press has been great,” which press is he talking about? And if Jackson is comfortable appearing before supportive crowds and reporters his allies consider “great,” but Maine Wire journalists are repeatedly kept outside his events: Does Troy Jackson want a press corps that challenges him, or one that helps prop up his campaign message? What is Jackson so afraid of?