‘Trusted news is a comfort’
Long-time reader Paul tells us why he still buys The News every day
GROWING up in Gosport has seen The News play an important part in reader Paul Foster’s life.
Ever since he was young, he can remember the newspaper being in the house.
‘My nan would always have a copy of The News
delivered to her house every day,’ he said.
‘I would always pick it up and read it. I suppose that’s where my love of journalism and local news first started.’
But back then he didn’t realise just how much of an influence the newspaper would have on his life.
For not only did Paul and his family read The News,
Paul would go on to work for the paper, rising from reporter covering Fareham, and then Gosport, to deputy news editor.
Paul said: ‘I have always been interested in news, particularly local news. I even did work experience at The News when I was just 14 for a week. The News has played such an important part in my life since I was about seven years old.’
Paul left the newspaper in 2015, going on to work for automotive media agency Blackball Media in Gosport, and then leaving to follow his desire to teach.
Over the past few years, he has taught hundreds of students the value of local news through the National Council for the Training of Journalists courses at Highbury College in Cosham, and today through his role as journalism lecturer at the University of Portsmouth.
Paul said: ‘When I was a lad there was always a copy around the house so I could keep up with news from Gosport and Pompey. That’s not changed and I still read it on a daily basis.
‘It’s comforting to know we have a trusted local newspaper which keeps us informed. In today’s world, it’s needed.’
Paul, who is married to Sarah, has three children – Luke, 22, Molly, seven, and Phoebe, five, – and a dog called Peggy.
Paul, 41, now lives in Swanmore, but says that despite living between Portsmouth and Southampton, his allegiances still lie with Pompey – and he still regularly enjoys picking up a copy of The News at the village shop, or reading it online via The News’ mobile app.
He said that as well as news, he enjoys the features, nostalgia pages and Pompey news.
He said: ‘It keeps me up to date. It is important that local news is there; for us, for the people and for local democracy, without it there would just be a lot of misinformation flying around.’