Ipswich.co.uk announces exciting new columnist lineup

Since its launch, Ipswich.co.uk has focused on objective, nonpartisan reporting on the issues that matter most to local people. That work will continue unchanged. But a town's news is only a part of its story. The other part is what people think about that news, and why.

More than two-thirds of this town read Ipswich.co.uk each month. That reach comes with responsibility. Part of meeting it, we believe, is not just telling readers what has happened, but giving space to the people who disagree about what it means.

From Friday 14 August, Ipswich.co.uk will carry regular opinion and comment for the first time. The new Opinion section is separate from our own reporting, and it will be clearly labelled as such.

The lineup

For the first time in at least my memory, representatives from every political party shall be regularly contributing to a single publication: Ipswich's only Green councillor David Plowman; Martin Cook, Leader of the Labour group at Suffolk County Council; Oliver Holmes, Leader of the Liberal Democrats group; former Conservative councillor and county council cabinet member Nadia Cenci; and businessman and Reform UK member Stephen Britt.

Alongside them will be an independent columnist writing under the pseudonym 'The Insider', leaning on their vast experience and contact book to offer a unique and witty perspective of Suffolk politics. We know not everyone will agree with the decision to publish anonymously – but we believe that the majority of our readers will enjoy the column for what it is and draw their own conclusions.

Our political contributors shall be joined by independent, non-political voices writing about the subjects that really matter to this town.

Barbara Norrey, AKA The West Stand Senior, will continue covering ITFC from her beloved West Stand; Lee Walker will share his insights on place, culture and the regeneration of Ipswich; Steve Brown will opine on the intersection of business and current affairs; and Zelly Lisanework will be covering Ipswich's thriving arts scene.

More announcements expected soon.

What this is, and what it is not

An opinion column is an argument, not an update. Each columnist will be free to make their own case, in their own words, on the issues they consider important. What they write will be theirs alone.

We publish these views. We do not hold them. Ipswich.co.uk remains nonpartisan and impartial in its own reporting, and that will not change. Giving a columnist space to write does not mean we agree with them, disagree with them, or endorse their conclusions.

It means we believe our readers are capable of hearing an argument, weighing it, and making up their own minds.

That principle applies equally to all five political columnists, regardless of party. We are not in the business of deciding whose views are acceptable to publish and whose are not, provided they are lawful, factually accurate, and a fair reflection of the subject at hand. Freedom of speech, democratic debate and the ability to listen to views we do not share are things we value, even when, and perhaps especially when, that discomforts us.

The bottom line

For many of our 67,000-117,000 monthly readers, Ipswich.co.uk has become the publication of record in this town. That is why we think opinion belongs here now: a publication with the reach we now have should be a place where the town's conversations happen, not just where its news is recorded.

We are opening our pages, not our position. What you make of what our columnists say is, as it should be, up to you.

If you have something worth saying about life in Ipswich, we want to hear from you.

Don't forget: If you enjoy our content, please add Ipswich.co.uk as a "preferred source" on Google so you can easily find more of the content you value.

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