From the Editor: What I have learnt about Doncaster in my first few weeks

Hello!

This is the first in what will be a new weekly ‘From the Editor’ column in your Free Press, an opportunity for me to speak directly to our valued readers.

It is now just over a month since I became the new Editor of the Free Press and I was hit with the slightly daunting realisation that I was now responsible for a newspaper that has been at the centre of Doncaster life for more than 100 years.

In my first few weeks in the role, I have certainly learnt a great deal about the city and its people.

I have learnt that the people of Doncaster care fiercely about their city and their communities and have a great deal of pride in where they live.

Another thing I have learnt is just how much people here care about local journalism. I have heard that loud and clear in the conversations and correspondence I have had with local folk.

During my first month or so in this role I have also learnt a lot about what it’s like to lead a city multimedia news operation.

It is a lot more than simply deciding what goes where in the newspaper. Firstly, it is about listening. Listening to local people, businesses and organisations and listening to my team of journalists.

It is also about making difficult choices, understanding what people want and expect from us and trying to balance all that within our coverage.

I have also come to understand the history of the Free Press and its relationship with local people. It belongs to Doncaster. Myself and the team are merely the current custodians.

We won’t always get things right, we won’t always please everyone, but we will always try our very best.

One of the other big things I have learnt so far is that there is no shortage of stories in Doncaster.

It is our job to make sure we find them and we are committed to asking the difficult questions, celebrating all the good things, as well as giving people a voice.

My promise to you is that the Free Press will be your go-to for the most comprehensive coverage on the latest updates on Doncaster Sheffield Airport, local regeneration, breaking news, Rovers and everything else in between that matters to you.

Finally for this week, I’d like to thank all those around the city that have given me such a warm welcome. If you haven’t said ‘hello’ yet then I would love to hear from you about your thoughts about the Free Press - good or bad - and Doncaster as a whole. You can email me directly at [email protected]

Ben Green

Editor