THE TELEGRAPH’S JOURNALISM MATTERS MORE THAN EVER...
THE events of the last six months have shown us that keeping people informed about what’s going on in the place where they live is now more important than ever before.
We’ve served people from Coventry and Warwickshire for generations through the pages of the Telegraph and more recently, our website Coventry Live.
And it’s a responsibility we take seriously, whether that’s delivering the latest breaking news, holding public organisations to account, supporting important campaigns or highlighting the issues that affect the different communities on our patch.
Every story we publish has been written by trained journalists and is checked by an experienced editor before we publish it.
We care deeply about accuracy and getting the tone of every article right, which is why we are signed up as a member of the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO).
And today our stories are reaching more people than ever before due to our growing online audience which has increased by a staggering 80% in the last year alone.
This week is Journalism Matters Week, an event which aims to highlight the vital role trusted news media journalism plays in society and how we can make a real difference to people’s lives.
So with that in mind, here’s a run down of just some of the stories we’ve published which have highlighted important local issues in our communities which have affected the lives of our readers...
CAMPAIGNS
Local newsrooms have a long-standing tradition of highlighting campaigns which are important to our readers and we’re one of the first places campaigners turn to when they’re looking to get the word out about their work.
So far in 2020, we’ve run stories on campaigns for a new law to limit the legal working hours of bus drivers after the tragic death of Rowan Fitzgerald who was killed aged just seven when the bus he was travelling on crashed into a shop in Coventry city centre.
And we’ve also covered campaigns for road improvements and more crossings near schools, a crowdfunder for new skatepark in Coventry and a petition to stop building on Coventry’s former green belt to name but a few.
HOLDING ORGANISATIONS TO ACCOUNT
Holding official organisations to account is an important part of our work.
When we received reports that a family had sat thorough a funeral at Canley Crematorium with the wrong deceased person in the coffin last November, officials initially denied the incident had taken place.
Through persistence from our team of reporters, the truth finally came out the following month, when the Coventry City Council admitted it had launched an investigation into the matter and disciplinary proceedings were underway in relation to two members of authority staff.
And as we’re a local news service, we make sure that we don’t lose track of the issues that matter.
Morgan Hehir, a talented street artist and musician was stabbed to death in Pool Bank Street, Nuneaton, in 2015 leading to Declan Gray, 21, being convicted of his murder.
It then emerged Gray had previously been released from Glen Parva detention centre after a previous manslaughter conviction - then had been arrested three times afterwards but the incidents were either filed as undetected unproven by West Midlands Police.
Morgan’s dad, Colin then began a long battle to find out why Gray was still allowed to roam loose.
The police’s Professional Standards Department finally found in August last year that the service provided by the police was not good enough.
In an interview with Coventry Live after the findings were released, Colin said: “I believe that Warwickshire Police are culpable in the murder of Morgan, they didn’t do the right thing, they lied to us.
“The Police and Crime Commissioner did not help me, I got more help from the community and pushing for information.
“I have had to force them [Warwickshire Police] to apologise, I shouldn’t have had to do this.”
HIGHLIGHTING THE ISSUES THAT MATTER
Shining the light on issues that are important, or affect the lives of our readers is also a vital part of our work.
This sometimes involves reporting on tragic events, such as the death of Sam Tyler, from Bedworth who took his own life at the age of just 14.
Sam’s family wanted to share their experiences and spoke to one of our reporters in the hope it would highlight
vital messages surrounding teenage mental health.
His mum, Tracey said: “No parent wants to talk to their kids and say ‘do you feel like killing yourself’- it is like a taboo subject.
“But I just want to urge people to ask them, it is a five minute conversation that could probably save their life if they are feeling that way.”
With the Covid-19 pandemic still having a major impact on all our lives, it’s no surprise that the issue has dominated the headlines so far in 2020.
We’ve been here with you throughout lockdown to bring you the latest information on all coronavirus related matters, whether that’s cases, issues over tests or us uncovering breaches in social distancing rules.
One such story included our exclusive coverage of 200 people flouting lockdown rules at a student accommodation party, which later made national headlines and led to questions being asked in Parliament.
We also aim to report from a range of different perspectives and tell all sides of a story. So, after covering a number of examples of unauthorised traveller encampments springing up on our patch, we made sure we reported on the issue from the travellers’ perspective, who told us they’re facing a ‘chronic’ shortage of authorised pitches, and how they often feel like a voiceless community are being let down by local authorities.
Making sure we’re Reporting The TRUTH
It’s often said that in the modern age of the internet, ‘a lie can travel around the world before the truth gets its shoes on’.
Coventry Live and the Coventry Telegraph are committed to ensuring our reports are accurate and have the right tone.
This often involves highlighting misinformation such as the rumours that someone had had their ear bitten off during the Atherstone Ball Game on Shrove Tuesday, when they had not.
The event organisers appreciated our accurate coverage so much that they allowed greater access than other media at 2020 event.
Earlier this year, we also received reports that residents in Rugby had conspiracy theory letters about the Covid-19 pandemic stating there had been ‘monumental lies and deceptions that have been told to us by the Government and the controlled mainstream media’ - as the global death toll pass one million.
One Rugby resident, who wished to remain anonymous, told Coventrylive: “I thought what’s this? Maybe helpful information about the pandemic? When all of this kicked off I was shielding because of the medication I take, my husband’s older than me and he’s vulnerable because of his age, and I thought it was a letter from the council.
“When it said about [Covid-19] being controlled and not real, I thought for God’s sake.”
They added: “Why would they fake something like this?
“The more it goes on, people are dying from this, and my husband’s sister unfortunately got it and she passed away aged 84. She got Covid-19 in hospital when she was in for an operation and her death was registered as being down to Covid-19, obviously the family was upset.”
staying in TOUCH with OUR Readers
We also pride ourselves on staying in touch with our readers, who help us shine a light on the issues and news events that are important to them.
There are a number of ways you can contact us to bring an issue to our attention, including emailing news@coventrytelegraph.net or messaging us via facebook.
So do drop us a line if you have a story that you think should be highlighted.