As valued subscribers, we gave you the opportunity to ask the editor questions – whether it was about a local issue, our news coverage or how we make editorial decisions or a daily basis.

I very much appreciate the time you took to send in your questions, some of which I have been able to answer below.

There may be other questions you’d like answering, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Reader: How can comments on stories be better moderated?  There are commentators who say the same thing on every article, and it's putting me off renewing my subscription. 

Editor: Like many media and newspaper outlets, our commenting system is externally moderated - giving the user the opportunity to report comments.

Any comments that are deemed unacceptable or inappropriate are flagged and then can be removed and in extreme cases the users can be suspended and banned from the platform altogether.

And please get in touch direct if you feel there are specific issues or comments you would like us to take a closer look at. 

Reader: Would there be space in the paper to do a regular article, like a day in the life of a volunteer, a shop owner or a business that’s gone beyond the call of duty?

Editor: Absolutely, we have regular platforms called Trader of the Week and Person of the Week as well as dedicated business pages.

We are always happy to feature stories about our local businesses and community champions and welcome anyone getting in touch with ideas.

Reader: How much investigative journalism do you do these days?

Editor: I am very proud of the investment we make in journalism that matters to our readers.

Our investigative journalism is award winning and Phil Coleman, who provides content for our titles in North, West and South Cumbria, won the 2023 Media Freedom Awards Regional Investigation of the Year trophy and was a finalist in the coveted national Private Eye Paul Foot Award.

Thank you so much for your continued support. 

If you have any questions at any time, please email me or send in a letter to the newsroom using the details on the Contact Us section of our website.