DEAR News Of The Area,

THIS is a letter of thanks to the team at Coffs Coast News Of The Area.

Sometimes we take it for granted that we have a weekly local newspaper, but with local papers going out of business all over Australia we need to take the time to think about the value NOTA brings to our community.

Every week, much of the Coffs region has access to a free local paper.

News Of The Area keeps us informed about community events and the achievements of people around us.

It covers the small events that keep a community connected.

It also covers the big events and contentious issues that shape our lives and our futures on the Coffs Coast.

It does so in an informed, considered way and allows people on both sides of the argument an opportunity to put their case (much more so than some large metropolitan daily papers).

Andrea Ferrari and Andrew Vivian do an amazing job of collecting the stories that are running in our region and making them readable, interesting and informative.

In an era where so much opinion is shared on social media there is an even greater role for a publication that takes pride in reporting both sides, getting the facts straight and correcting errors as they arise.

It allows us to be informed, consider the issues and form our own views, based on real information.

We should not take it for granted.

Regards,
Tony JUDGE,
Woolgoolga.