IF you go around the country – or even parts of London – you may pick up a local newspaper, and think: what’s all the fuss about?

We can think of a couple of titles close to home which are clearly a shadow of their former selves.

It’s hard to preach about the importance of a robust local press holding politicians and public institutions to account when you’ve slashed the number of reporters and fill the pages with whatever comes quickest and easiest.

The Islington Tribune finds it as hard as any other paper to get by – but we believe that the borough needs a well-functioning paper with reporters on the ground asking questions – and we refuse to go down the road of celebrity and crime click chases.

This week, we ask why our mental health hospitals are getting poor inspection reports, how refugees can be protected from divisive protests and who will act to stop a tide of Islamophobia.

The list goes on and we do it every week, every month – always asking questions.

It’s a key cog in how our community works – a society where decisions should be debated and discussed, challenged where necessary, and not made on your behalf in the shadows.

And we celebrate the best of the borough too: like the fund-raisers at Newington Green Primary School on page nine. If you would like to support our work, the easiest and most helpful way is to sign up for our new newsletter, called NewJournal+.

There are both free and upgraded options, but everybody gets our round-up of the latest news in their email inbox on Mondays.

Find us at newjournal.substack.com

Thank you for your support.