Editor’s Letter: This is the biggest challenge the Hackney Gazette has ever faced. I’m asking for your help to overcome it
The Gazette's coverage of The Foundry closure, which was met with protests. - Credit: Archant
Dear reader, Have you heard the phrase “news desert”?
It’s been coined in America to describe what is left behind when a newspaper closes down and the community it served is suddenly left without a source of credible and comprehensive news and information.
You can guess what happens next in those places when the vital scrutiny that a campaigning local newspaper provides is gone; when no-one is there to shine a light on that which is hidden from the public.
I’m determined that Hackney will never become a news desert - and I need your help to stop it happening.
That’s why I’m asking you to give your financial support to our work. You can contribute any amount you like, as a one-off or a recurring contribution.
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Why am I asking this now?
More of you are reading the Gazette than ever before, and increasingly that is on your mobile phones, tablets and laptops rather than in print.
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- 4 Jailed: Newham men who raped and robbed women in Hackney home
- 5 Roads, Museum of the Home, Living Wage and child exploitation
- 6 NEU members continue strike action at Leaways
- 7 Hackney schoolgirl and actress Bukky Bakray wins Bafta
- 8 Police hunt Ilford man after shooting in Hackney
- 9 Lottery winners build nesting boxes for Woodberry Wetlands birds
- 10 Mare Street Narroway see's queues for Primark and independent shops reopen on April 12
We’re delighted to serve so many of you - but please understand that trusted journalism costs money to produce, and the money we make from digital page views is a fraction of that from paper sales.
Our advertising revenues have also been hit by the tech giants, many of whom pay little or no tax here.
Still, we are determined to continue to keep fighting for you and our area.
In recent years, the Hackney Gazette has brought you the Paul Foot Award-winning Hidden Homeless investigation into the role of private hostels in the housing crisis, as well as extensive coverage of the Met Police spy scandal in the borough. It has also led the coverage of railway arch traders’ campaign for fair rents.
So please help us with a contribution to supporting award-winning local journalism that makes a measurable difference to our community.
Every single gesture of support will help us make sure Hackney does not become a news desert.
Thank you
Andre Langlois, Editor
