LOCAL journalism on your Mid-Devon Advertiser ‘is a force for good that should be cherished and supported’ says MP Anne Marie Morris.

Backing our Holding Community Together campaign, the MP for Newton Abbot said: ‘It’s a pleasure to support the work of the MDA.

‘Local papers are a vital source of community information, especially at a time when everything seems to be moving online, with local reporters actually reporting local issues that matter to the community.

‘As the representative of Newton Abbot in Westminster, my weekly column enables me to communicate with the community what has happened over the previous week and why it is important.

‘Local journalism is a force for good that should be cherished and supported’

This week we celebrate our public role as part of Holding Our Community Together, our campaign to shine a light on the impact made by your trusted local news brand every week.

As people consume more news and information than ever before, both in print and digitally, respected news titles like ours perform an important duty in delivering information from local authorities while still holding to account leading local organisations over their decisions.

Just as we have always reported on local events throughout our history, the Covid-19 pandemic showed how we could update our audiences with the latest news about the impact in our community and the work to shape the way forward from the accompanying lockdowns.

With many people turning to their trusted local newspaper to understand how the Covid was affecting local life, we stayed true to our aim of reporting on the big issues which matter to our community.

Our print publications and websites were an important platform for people to access the latest news and information, especially in the early weeks when life ground to a halt.

We believe we hold a unique place in local life by holding to account local decision makers, which many other providers do not do.

Those in power may not thank us at times for asking difficult questions but we take seriously the mantle of being the trusted news brand for our community.

Nobody can represent our community like your trusted local news brand.

We continue to report the latest news from our public services, such as the police, fire service, NHS and local authorities.

When they plan changes which impact you, we hold them to account on your behalf.

During the drive to get people vaccinated against Covid, we were determined to back this by highlighting one of the first people to receive the vaccine.

‘Just get it done’ said 88-year-old Alastair Binham on our front page as one of the first people in Teignbridge to receive the jab as an early Christmas present.

We were also on hand to record Dawlish’s Big Thank You event to thank all the many people NHS staff, volunters and services who had worked so well together in the town to deliver the vaccine to local people.

While Teignmouth people will no doubt be welcoming the multi-million pound Health and Wellbeing Hub planned for the Brunswick Street area of the town, it has raised fears that this could leave the cherished local hospital in a vulnerable position.

We have helped the Save Teignmouth Hospital campaign group to get their message across to help to save this much loved institution of healthcare in the town.

We see it as our responsibility to report on the public issues which mean a great deal to people living here.

Those in authority locally know we are here to raise topics for the greater good.

Having published news and information here since 1863, nobody else we believe has our proud track record for reporting on the public interest in our community.

We understand that there may be times when our questions or campaigns put noses out of joint.

But for democracy to thrive, those making the decisions must be prepared for our news teams to put the spotlight on their plans.

We now reach more people than ever before as we report on all aspects of local life.

We know you will continue to turn to our versions of the news affecting you and your community, particularly as we rebuild from the damage caused by the pandemic.

Thank you for continuing to value the professional news presented by our titles, as we keep reporting on the big issues and continue holding our community together.

Nick Knight

editor