COMMENT: We cherish your trust and our reputation

As we report today, a new report by YouGov reveals that almost three-quarters (74 per cent) of people said that local press in print and digital is their most trusted source for local news and information, and despite the rise and dominance of social media, only 22 per cent said they trusted the local news they might read on sites like Facebook and LinkedIn.

Local newspapers also came out ahead of local commercial TV and local commercial radio who both scored 73 per cent, search engines (43 per cent) and other websites (39 per cent).

Heartening news for The News and our industry as a whole.

We take pride in providing you with a news service you can depend on, reflecting your concerns, your community, and the issues that affect you and yours.

Day in, day out, sunshine or snow, our reporters are digging for the stories that will inform and entertain you.

We know there are many distractions in modern life, and we too have joined the fray of social media to keep in touch with you in a way that print or websites alone never can.

But you know that if you read something in The News it has been researched, corroborated and reported honestly and ethically.

It is a cut above the tittle-tattle of social media and the menace that Donald Trump likes to call ‘fake news.

We try to avoid mistakes, but we are human. If they happen, we own up and we put them right.

That is why you can trust us. The News brand depends on that trust, and we cherish it.

So you know that every time you buy a copy of The News, it is a worthwhile investment, not only of your time, but in the future of honest, trustworthy journalism.