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Last week the government launched a public health campaign by taking out advertisements in hundreds of national and local news outlets, which will help them weather the financial storm caused by coronavirus - but they did not include the many small independent and non-commercial publications that fulfil a vital role in many parts of the country, including Enfield.

One of the publications left in the lurch is Enfield Dispatch, which has lost at least half of its advertising revenue because of the virus. You can read what editor James Cracknell has to say about this at the bottom of this report.

Could you help distribute the Dispatch?

Another effect of the pandemic and the government lockdown is that the usual distribution network has been almost entirely shut down. The Dispatch normally distributes the paper via local businesses such as cafes, coffee shops, pubs, libraries and places of worship, to name a few. Because they are all now closed, they are looking for other ways to distribute the paper. They would like to know if you can help by delivering a small bundle of papers in your own neighbourhood - let them know by emailing .

join enfield dispatchEnfield Dispatch's membership scheme helps it to keep going financially, and is even more important now when advertising income has been significantly reduced. You can support the Dispatch by becoming a member from as little as £3 per month. You can join here. Alternatively, you can make a one-off donation by visiting the Enfield Dispatch website.

Self-isolating? The Dispatch will deliver to you

The news stands in Enfield Town, Edmonton Green, Southgate, Palmers Green, Bush Hill Park, Cockfosters and Ponders End continue to be stocked with the paper. However, some readers will be unable to leave their homes at the current time to pick up a copy. If you are in self-isolation the Dispatch we will arrange for a paper to be delivered or posted to you. Email .

The Dispatch wants to hear from you!

Would you like to write about your experience living in lockdown? Have you been personally affected by the pandemic? The Dispatch would like to hear your stories for their next edition. Email .

save local journalismThree actions required to help independent news providers survive the Covid crisis

Today the government has launched a public health campaign that will not reach you. It won’t reach you because the government has not included independently owned community news publishers like Enfield Dispatch in its campaign.

The All In All Together campaign is a welcome response from the government to provide essential information at this time. It is also a demonstration of the government’s support for the press. However, unless you pick up a copy of a commercial local or national newspaper, you will not have heard about it.

Enfield Dispatch is a member of the Independent Community News Network (ICNN), which is the official trade body for independent community news publishers. Together, we reach over five million people online each month, and over half-a-million in print. This makes us part of the fourth largest news publishing organisation in the UK.

Organisations like ours are the true frontline key workers in this industry who are keeping our communities afloat with genuine, accurate and important information during this pandemic.

Sadly, we are also the ones most at risk from the current crisis. The impact of Covid-19 on organisations like ours could have a catastrophic impact on public health across the UK. Yet the government has seen fit to exclude us from its public health campaign. And that means they have excluded you too.

It is critical for public health that organisations like ours continue to give essential, verified and useful information to the communities we serve. Any public health campaign that does not include publications like ours is insufficient and is a dereliction of the government’s duty to communities at this time.

This is why we are calling on your support to demand urgent action from the government to support organisations like ours at this time and give us an equal share of its public health advertising spend. We need this so that we can continue to bring you the valued and trusted news you have come to expect from us and rely on.

Feryal Clark, Enfield North MP, says: “Local, independent news organisations, such as Enfield Dispatch are the lifeblood of trusted reporting of news relevant to their communities. Government should financially support local media outlets at this crucial time, especially as we try and combat fake news, and where the public are more likely to trust local news sources. We can all do our bit, whether that is by reading the local news, or as a local businesses by supporting their efforts through advertising in their publications.”

Kate Osamor, Edmonton MP, says: “Local papers like Enfield Dispatch are not being supported by the government during this Covid-19 crisis. The government needs to take action now to save local newspapers that shine a light on local issues and help our democracy.”

Please share this article with family and friends and on social media using the hashtag: #SaveIndependentNews.

Source: enfielddispatch.co.uk/​response-to-todays-government-announcement/

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