Knot good enough – the verdict on positive local media representation

James Routledge has launched The Knot after becoming disillusioned by the negative portrayal of Stoke and Staffordshire in the established local media.

Now living in Stone, James talks to A Little Bit of Stone about The Knot:

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This year, I started an independent digital newspaper for Stoke and Staffordshire, The Knot. I want to celebrate all that is good about this area and focus on the good news and great things to do. https://www.theknot.news

Over the last 15 months, I’ve experienced all the amazing positives of living here. The beautiful countryside, the incredibly kind people, the friendly community and the peaceful chirping of the birds. 

I’ve also discovered how much great stuff there is in Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire that you have to go out of your way to find. It’s not always felt easy to find great places to eat, good things to do at the weekend or hear good news. 

I became so sick and tired of the negativity of The Sentinel and SOT Live that are supposed to cover our region. Instead, it’s just clickbait about crime and constant bad news headlines. 

In April this year, I decided to change that and start my own independent newspaper. It would focus on the positives in this region and cover both Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire without segregating the two.

I truly believe that the people who live here deserve better from our news. We often get dragged down into the moaning and negativity that comes from the one big news outlet here. There is so much to be proud of in this region, whether you’re from Stoke, from Staffordshire or you’re new to this area – there’s plenty to do, plenty to be excited about and plenty to be proud of. 

If you subscribe to The Knot you get an email every Monday that curates all the good news and gives you a list of “what’s on/things to do”. We spotlight events and places to eat. We’ll also share with you important and interesting news stories that you might not otherwise hear about.

I love living in Stone and love spending time in this area, I hope we can bring this positivity to more people.

Keep an eye out for coverage of our stories in The Knot – it’s great for us to reach a wider audience!