Junior Gazette was a spring board to journalism career

February 2014 was the month I started to write for the Blackpool Gazette.

When I first started to write for the paper, print was still a popular form of retrieving news. However, five years later it has seen the decline of print based journalism but the transformation of online journalism.

Local papers, such as The Gazette haven’t been left in the past. They have carried on with print but they have also emphasised the importance of moving to the online format.

Without The Gazette, I wouldn’t have found my platform and a voice which has allowed me to echo my views and to give the people of Kirkham and surrounding areas a chance to have their stories told.

I believe it’s important that we still have print based journalism.

People still enjoy the fact that you have to go the local shop to purchase the paper. It’s become almost a tradition and it certainly would be something that people would miss out on.

When I first started writing content for the Gazette, I was 14-years-old and now I’m almost 20.

Something that is so good about local papers is that they give young people the opportunity to have their writing skills showed to the public.

If you are sat reading this paper, then you understand the true value of a newspaper. It’s important that people pick up and support their local newspapers because it’s down to them that local people have a voice.

Who knows what is going to happen in the next five years in regards to print journalism. However, I can certainly say that I am grateful that I have been given the opportunity to be a part of the fast-paced industry that is journalism.

If you would like to write for Junior Gazette, we would love to hear from you. Please contact [email protected]