AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) - A non-partisan investigative news service is launching a free website to help Mainers do research on public officials' campaigns and activities in government.
The nonprofit Maine Center for Public Interest Reporting provides a variety of sources on elections, campaign finance, lobbying, legislation and government ethics on its website.
The center, which produces investigative stories that appear in Maine newspapers, calls its site "Be Your Own Watchdog."
Center Publisher John Christie says it can help voters, for example, check out the source of candidates' campaign contributions, whether their votes were connected to lobbying and the sources of their income.
Partial funding for Be Your Own Watchdog was provided by the Ethics and Excellence in Journalism Foundation and the Nicholas B. Ottaway Foundation.
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