This week I have been sent an unusually high number of letters commenting on the content of stories in last week's Keighley News. Most of them, it has to be said, were unsupportive of the way in which we had presented the content.

I'm not going to go into details because the background to the stories would have to be fully repeated, and no doubt that would bring further comment.

So what happens when a story comes into the office or a reporter is given details? Each story is discussed with the news desk and decisions taken as to how we should tell the story.

I don't expect, and it would be wrong of me to expect, all readers to agree with the 'angle' we take on stories.

We do not, as some people think, look for 'sensationalist' value.

Some stories are difficult and do cause controversy, and can have a direct effect on people, so they have to be dealt with according to our policy.

News has several components - the main one being that something has changed. Change is the very essence of news.

After each publication we look at the edition and we often talk about how we could have done it better or in a different format. That is standard in all newspaper offices. I am the first to admit, as regular readers know, that we don't always get it right.

One question raised by a number of readers last week was "is this the Keighley News or a downmarket Sunday paper?" I think I understand what they are suggesting. My response is that we report as fairly and as accurately as possible on news in and around Keighley.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.