We’re inviting you to the Zoom room once again, this time to discuss the Ham&High itself.

Next week is Journalism Matters week (October 5-11). That’s right, we have our own spot in the calendar, alongside such classics as British Pie Week, National Do Nothing Day and a great many very worthy awareness days. I’m being flippant but journalism really does matter. At a time when social media is awash with misinformation and the conspiracy theory industry appears to be on the rise, a media that is professional, has a proven track record, is regulated and is accountable to its readers is vital.

We’re not perfect but if a reader thinks we have erred they can contact us and we will correct mistakes. Where disagreement remains, we are regulated by the Independent Press Standards Organisation.

The most persistent misunderstanding about journalists is that we don’t care. Every journalist I’ve ever worked with has suffered The Fear when working on a contentious story and the guilt is overwhelming when we get it wrong.

But we do the job because we love it and because it’s important. And there are a lot of highs from the people meet and the part we play. One of the pleasures for me throughout lockdown has been our community Zoom calls. I’ve never come out of one without feeling better than when I went in. Spending so much time on social media, it’s a joy to speak face to face (virtually) with real people.

So please join us on Thursday, October 8 at 4pm to discuss the Ham&High. We’ll answer your questions about how we work, what our priorities are, how things have changed and are changing, and why we do the things the way we do - and we’ll listen to your thoughts about how we can serve the community. I look forward to seeing you there.

To register for the call, email michael.boniface@archant.co.uk and we will send a Zoom link on the day.