There's nothing fake about what you’ll read in The Cumberland News . Every word written by our journalists – whether in print, online or via social media – is reported in good faith.

We research, investigate, analyse and question to get to the bottom of the issues and events which matter most to you, whether that be holding our community’s power-brokers to account or making sure you know the most up-to-the-moment developments at Carlisle United.

I’m proud to say that we have some of the best journalists in regional newspapers among our ranks. A number of them this week had their work featured at top national industry awards.

It’s our mission to bring you news you can trust, giving you fact rather than fiction.

The importance of that is in the spotlight as part of the 20th Local Newspaper Week.

Thursday was Trusted News Day, a key part of the campaign.

It’s designed to remind us of the vital role that newspapers such as The Cumberland News have in delivering trusted news; informing, entertaining and holding those in power to account where necessary. Being your voice.

We hear a lot about fake news.

But do many of us really understand what this is?

I occasionally hear people accuse us of running fake news.

Sometimes that’s because we’ve made a mistake. We’re human and, unfortunately, that means we’ll make errors – in facts, judgement or clumsy wording – from time to time (though hopefully not frequently). When we’re wrong, we’ll say so and apologise. To maintain your trust it’s important that we do. There are always going to be things that we could do – and should do – better.

But we are, categorically, not a vehicle for #fakenews. We don’t, deliberately, push unbalanced propaganda or lies.

You may not always agree with what we write and what those we interview say. That doesn’t make it fake.

By presenting both sides of any argument, we’re simply striving to be trusted.

For more than 200 years, The Cumberland News has been at the forefront of reporting and reflecting on life in our very special part of the world.

We do that proudly and endeavour to do it with integrity, whether that be with bringing the latest to you during a crisis – as we did when the Beast from the East struck in late February – with the deeply personal stories that you trust us to tell accurately and compassionately or from council chambers, court rooms and health trusts.

We want to be a forum for discussion and debate.

In a democratic society that’s important. We’re a critical cog in democracy. The need for that cog to continue turning – balanced and impartially – has become even more vital amid the noise that social media can bring.

Without us, you might not know the full story surrounding the complicated saga of Carlisle’s dilapidated Central Plaza Hotel or the devastating impact of this year’s snow on people in our isolated communities.

At our best, we’re a force for good.
We’ve reported extensively on the buzz surrounding the scheduled start of passenger flights from Carlisle Airport. We only last week celebrated the success of new jobs in the pipeline at Kingmoor Park, while next month we’ll honour the efforts of some amazing people at The Cumberland News Community Heroes Awards. We’ll celebrate excellence in education – with our Golden Apples – and our entrepreneurial spirit with our business awards later this year.

We work hard to set out the facts fairly – and accurately – so that you can form your own opinion.

It’s no secret that times are challenging in the media industry, but that hasn’t dampened our commitment to delivering the truth, as some might have you believe.

What makes us stand out from the crowd is that we’re local. We’re part of your community. We’re accountable.

We’re here to tell the stories that matter to you. Truthfully. You can believe in us. There’s nothing fake about that pledge.