Get to know the faces behind your local community newspaper

Indie News Week is the UK’s annual celebration of independent news. In 2026, we would like to give our readers the chance to celebrate Indie News Week by learning more about the faces behind their local community newspaper and what goes into covering local stories. Here our staff and some of our valued contributors/volunteers introduce themselves:

Joe Ives, Local Democracy Reporter

My school teachers told me I’d never be a professional footballer. They were right. The fact I can barely kick a ball might’ve been a clue. Still, being a Local Democracy Reporter means making headlines in a different way. I cover three councils: Barnet, Enfield and Haringey. These local authorities make key decisions for roughly 1 million people on everything from health to housing. Yet the decline in local news over the past two decades has meant the level of scrutiny they receive has dwindled. More often than not my Social Spider colleagues and I will be the only ones covering hugely important decisions. It’s a huge responsibility – and privilege.

Anna Mahtani ,Reporter

Right outside your window, the world could be ending and you’d never know it. That’s where Barnet Post comes in. Be it celebrating the borough’s achievements, or telling stories which might overwise be forgotten, reporting for a local newspaper has allowed me to get to know my community. When I was covering the Golders Green ambulance attack, I got to witness how important it is for people to tell their stories. Being a part of that, however small it may be, is why I love writing for Barnet Post. Oh, and it’s a terribly good excuse to be nosy.

Nick Sandamas, Football Reporter

I have been contributing to Barnet Post since June 2024 and my main specialty is Barnet Football Club. I have followed the club for five decades and the Post has given me the opportunity to further my experience of writing by reporting on their fortunes. I attend the matches and submit a match report to go online soon after. A local paper in any borough is paramount to keep people up to date with what’s going on and Barnet has that with the Post. I am pleased to be part of a great team and continue to deliver news on the continuing fortunes of the Bees.

Maya Sall, News and Investigations 

I started my journalism career at Barnet Post. Four years on, I still write for it not only because I have a sentimental attachment to the paper, but because I believe in the ‘local rag’. The recent elections have proven once again that national news is influenced by everyday people. And, since writing for the Post, I’ve discovered that the biggest stories are the ones closest to home, and I’m continually spurred on by the genuine need for them to be told. As such, our community papers are a vital public service, telling the overlooked stories that really matter. Long live the Post and its fantastic community of readers and writers!

Leïla Davaud, News and Features

I started collaborating with Barnet Post shortly after moving here from France. While excited for this new chapter, I deeply missed the community I had left behind, so I turned to the local newspaper to better understand my new surroundings and the people bringing it to life. That’s when the Post appeared on my screen, looking for contributors. Eager to continue my journalism career, I embraced the opportunity to play a role in this new community and find my voice in my second language. What I expected to be a temporary activity soon became a real sense of purpose. I found a team of devoted journalists determined to put local news back on the front page through ethical, meaningful reporting. It is something truly worth supporting.

David Floyd, Editor

I edit Barnet Post as part of my wider role as Managing Director of Social Spider CIC, the not-for-profit social enterprise that publishes the paper along with six others across London. I went to school and sixth form in Finchley and had my first job as a library assistant at Friern Barnet Library, so it’s great to be back working in Barnet. But I don’t want to edit the paper forever. My aim for the Post is to reach the point where we can afford to pay a talented locally-based journalist to take on my role. Please support us so we can do that!