I HAVE been blown away by the enthusiasm of so many locals for the News Of The Area since it began publishing its Gloucester edition on 2 October.

From day one I’ve been regularly stopped in the street, and received phone calls telling me how much such a local paper means to this community.

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I’ve had no background in journalism, but as a practising lawyer for many years I had written a few legal articles, and lawyers are trained to piece together an accurate narrative after gathering information and separating fact from fiction, which is also what I think good journalism is about.

Until its recent closure I was writing regular book reviews for another publication, and I have written a couple of boutique books on environmental issues.

When I started writing for News Of The Area it was made clear to me that they didn’t want my reporting to expose my opinion on a topic, and I was delighted to hear this because, in my opinion, some major media outlets fail to be balanced in their reporting of events and issues, and present opinion as fact.

There is of course a place in the media for opinion writing, as I am doing here, so long as it’s made clear that opinion is what it is, and that overall the outlet presents a range of differing views.

I have lived in Gloucester for about 12 years and knew that it was an active and caring community, but since writing for News Of The Area I have been amazed at the vibrancy of the town in so many areas – be it in the arts, sport, education, social events or community service activities.

Like any town, Gloucester has its issues and problems which should not be ignored, but in my view it’s important that a local media outlet seeks to balance the negative with the positive, and that is what I have tried to do with the articles I have written.

I really want to thank all those who have been prepared to provide leads about issues that affect Gloucester, and to talk openly and honestly about such issues.

By John WATTS