No apologies for returning to the subject of readers' online comments - the ability to gather instant feedback on articles has had a huge impact on all media organisations.
As I've said before, we're happy for the Advertiser to be part of the debate, and so we do not remove comments criticising us - it would be pretty hypocritical if we did.
That doesn't mean, however, that I'm happy to allow accusations to go unchecked, and one of the responses to the latest Selsdon High story (Head told: Quit or be sacked) is a case in point.
You can read Andrea Bovell's submission here.
It's clearly a subject she feels strongly about, but to my mind her criticisms are well wide of the mark.
One of the main thrusts of her argument is that we have not identified the sources who provided us with some of the information.
I'm afraid that is one of the fundamentals of journalism - anyone who provides us with information on the understanding they will not be identified will always have their anonymity protected.
Suffice to say, this isn't the kind of article we would run without having a number of very reliable witnesses verifying each and every point.
I'm well aware the Advertiser's coverage of schools in recent months has put a number of noses out of joint, and in a way it becomes self-perpetuating.
Parents, staff and pupils feel more inclined to come foward with stories of their own when they see that we are prepared to tackle some controversial subjects, and the day we start turning these stories away we really will be deserving of criticism.
A few more bits and pieces beore I embark on a traumatic two-day training course:
The Advertiser has been shortlisted in the newspaper of the year category in the annual Press Gazette awards
I doubt any reader gives two hoots about whether or not their local paper wins any industry awards, but I'd still rather be nominated than not. The shortlist is here and the smart money is on the Bath Chronicle to win - it recently made the brave move to convert from a daily title to a weekly one, and created a very impressive product in doing so.
As the web firmly establishes itself as the place to get breaking news, I can see more daily titles following Bath's example. Anyhow, as long as the South London Press doesn't pick up a gong I'll be happy.
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