Today we announce some changes to the focus of Parra News moving forward.
Since launching in November 2020, this newspaper has proudly covered both the Parramatta and Cumberland Local Government Areas.
We have done that on the back of support from both Parramatta and Cumberland Councils, who run weekly full page ads that inform and educate the community on the important work both Councils are doing, as well as information you deserve to know.
Unfortunately, today is the final issue that you’ll see Cumberland Council’s full page ad on page two of the paper.
The Council has opted to go in a different direction in terms of marketing this information to local residents.
We are obviously disappointed by this decision, as we see the Councils in the areas we represent as local news champions and supporters of independent media; and important partners in ensuring the longevity of our publications.
As a result of this decision, Parra News will shift its focus to solely covering the Parramatta Local Government Area.
While we are disappointed to not be covering the Cumberland Local Government Area to the extent we were previously, we’re excited that we’ll be able to have a razor sharp focus on Parramatta.
It means you’ll see more papers in the Parramatta Local Government Area, more Parramatta Local Government Area stories and more distribution points.
We’re excited to really put the Parra into Parra News.
Unfortunately this means a reduction in our drops across the Cumberland Local Government Area, and unfortunately it does mean many important local stories will not be covered.
If you are impacted by this, I would encourage you to visit our website at http://www.parranews.com.au and sign up to our digital edition, which is 100 per cent free and lands every Tuesday into your inbox.
We’d like to thank Cumberland Council for their support of local news over the last five years. We have valued the partnership and we do look forward to still covering important events and happenings in Parramatta’s neighbouring Local Government Area.
This moves us on to the importance of local news more broadly.
Recently, I was in Melbourne attending the Local Independent News Association annual conference, which saw publishers from right across the country gather to discuss the challenges confronting the industry, as well as share news of achievements and successes in various communities.
Parra News sits in somewhat of a rare position as a weekly newspaper in a major Sydney metropolitan area.
While there is a lot of focus on regional areas being left as ‘news deserts’, there are many parts of suburban Sydney that are exactly the same. Areas that have no journalists covering Council, no eyes on local politics, no reporting of sports stories or local entertainment.
We welcome the ABC’s recent move to Parramatta and the opening of a Sydney Morning Herald office in this area, as it ensures that there is a strong focus on an important part of Sydney that would otherwise be ignored.
And here at Parra News, we are proud to play a crucial role in the media landscape.
Local newsrooms are critical to ensuring communities thrive and local stories are told.
To that end we’d like to shout out all of our advertisers, whose partnerships with us aren’t just about growing their business and improving their branding, but are also about supporting local news and independent newsrooms. You are absolute champions of local news, and your support is so valuable.
And we of course appreciate our readers, who continue to pick up Parra News every week, and provide feedback.
We’d love to continue to hear your stories, and encourage you to email us at news@parranews.com.au with your story ideas, suggestions and concerns.
Long live local news!
Troy Dodds is Parra News' Managing Editor and Breaking News Reporter. He has more than 20 years experience as a journalist, working with some of Australia’s leading media organisations. In 2023, he was named Editor of the Year at the Mumbrella Publish Awards.