On Nov. 22, the Bangor Daily News published a small article on page A-7 titled “Bankruptcies.” The first paragraph read: “Following are petitions for bankruptcy relief filed at the U.S. Bankruptcy Court at Bangor.” The article then listed 20 cases by name.

One was a case that was filed on Aug. 13, 2004 and discharged on Nov. 23, 2004.

The case is more than one year old! How is that news? The BDN’s listing of incomplete and undated court dockets is not “news,” it is “fill.”

While the BDN has every right to publish court records, it is unethical to pass undated, partial case listings off as if they were current news. The sporadic incomplete and apparently ancient lists do a disservice to the few persons listed who have made an effort to get on with their lives – only to have their year-old cases published as if they were new.

The partial lists also unfairly highlight very few persons. For what reason?

Why were those 20 cases highlighted when there have been more than 3,600 Chapter 7 bankruptcy cases filed in Bangor so far in 2005? One thousand, three hundred and sixty-seven such cases were filed in the single 30- day period ending Oct. 17.

Now that is news.

Sarah LeClaire, Esq.

Presque Isle