Daily Mercury named finalist in INMA’s Global Media Awards

Our news brand is community and that is why My Town works.

3 min read

March 11, 2021 - 6:24PM

The Daily Mercury's My Town series toured the region in 2020 and is gearing up to meet more people in every Mackay community in 2021.

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Dear valued subscribers,

We here at the Daily Mercury have some big news to share with you.

We have been named a finalist in the International News Media Association's Global Media Awards.

The Merc's My Town series is a finalist in the category Best Use of an Event to Build a News Brand.

Our news brand is community and that is why My Town works.

My Town initially sought to advocate for our readers in our smaller communities and discover community champions whose tireless work behind the scenes made their towns and localities thrive.

But as coronavirus spread its invisible but dangerous grip on the region, state, country and world, My Town took on a different purpose.

The series was forced into hiatus when the March 2020 lockdown came into effect, and businesses and communities doubled down with a steely mindset to 'just get through'.

It was during these three months that the physical Daily Mercury stopped printing.

Library sessions, which we hope to start again next month, in July and August helped bridge the divide between print and digital for many of our readers.

But My Town returned in September to help reconnect our communities left without a paper to their wider community.

The fortnightly rotation of towns began again with Mackay Regional Council sponsorship, pairing an elected councillor with a Daily Mercury reporter.

The sponsorship recognised the importance of connecting with the 30 townships outside of Mackay's city gates, and the role the Daily Mercury played in community advocacy.

My Town bridged the rural-city divide in a material way, giving you, our readers and residents, direct access to your journalist, and your council.

The My Town initiative has a reporter visiting a different town or area twice a month, and has so far visited towns including Habana, Walkerston, Bloomsbury, Marian, Finch Hatton, Sarina, Eimeo, Calen, Kuttabul and Seaforth.

We're heading back to Habana later this month.

If you want us to head to your town, email us at mackay@news.com.au

I congratulate the whole Daily Mercury team for embracing our vision to reconnect with our smaller towns but especially Deputy Editor Tara Miko who has spearheaded the campaign.