I enjoyed writing this article on why the local press matters for InPublishing which was based on my experience as a judge in the 2013 Regional Press Awards.
One of the points I made is that I love the internet and Twitter but still get all my important local news about planning, the health service and local government from my weekly newspaper, the West Sussex Gazette.
It was the same when I lived in London and got brilliant local news coverage from the Islington Tribune, sister paper to the excellent Camden New Journal which won campaign of the year in the Regional Press Awards.
What I liked was the enthusiasm of the journalists at the awards do despite the problems that have beset the sector. One reporter said to me: “Apart from the shit pay and the long hours, it’s the best job in the world.”
The Regional Press Awards showed that campaigning journalism by local newspapers does make a difference and is something to be proud of in an era shamed by the hacking scandal.
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