170 years strong: Illawarra Mercury marks a local news milestone

Illawarra Mercury journalists reflect on the role the publication has in the community, amid the 170th anniversary celebrations.

Transcript

00:00The Mercury is really important to the community because it records the first draft of the city's

00:06history, the region's history, and we're also pretty instrumental in advocating for change

00:12where it needs to occur. Small community newspaper, I'm really proud of it. It's also held up

00:18a mirror to those as well in the community of the best and worst that we can be. More than a

00:22community paper, it's covered a lot of national and international events. It keeps an eye on

00:28the local businesses, the local councils. The general public aren't going to look through

00:33council papers or watch three-hour council meetings themselves, so I think we provide a service to the

00:40community in that way. We're a team of local people who live here in this community. We know the issues

00:45that affect you and the stories that are important to you, and that helps us to advocate for the

00:50community from the inside, and we set the news agenda for the region. We hope that you'll come

00:55along with us and enjoy the celebration as we mark 170 years, and we thank you for your support.