LeicestershireLive/Leicester Mercury

LeicestershireLive is absolutely aware of the importance of ensuring our many communities are well represented in our coverage. This is woven into the fabric of everything we do, our approach every day and our newsroom overall.

We are lucky to have a team that is culturally and religiously diverse. We therefore have a chorus of knowledgeable and informed voices which are encouraged to speak out, are listened to and which help shape our reporting to ensure it represents the very mixed community in which we live and work. In short, our multicultural newsroom reflects our readership and sits at the heart of everything we do. Our coverage of traditionally under-reported communities is led largely by community reporter Sali Shobowale, but everyone in the newsroom has an open brief to cover topics affecting all people in our city and county, meaning it is a natural part of our daily thinking, never sidelined, forgotten about nor treated as a 'box to tick'. We have developed strong contacts with almost all local communities, resulting in residents coming to and trusting us with even the most sensitive of issues, such as racism and taboo subjects within their culture. Examples: 'Family who moved 150 miles to Leicestershire to flee racism had slurs hurled at them by Glenfield neighbour'; 'Garment workers are being forced to leave their homes as brands ditch Leicester suppliers'. It was extremely hard to get garment workers to speak to us, and the story was the result of many months of work by Asha Patel to win the workers' trust.

We aim to get 'beneath the surface' of different religions and cultures to promote positivity and dispel unhelpful myths. Examples: 'I celebrated Eid ul-Adha as a Christian for the first time and felt right at home'; 'Leicester residents old and young share what Black History Month 2023 means to them'.

We actively work with communities which have traditionally been under- or even un-reported to seek out positive and inspiring stories. Examples: 'The Leicester club that's inspiring women across communities to take up football'; 'Meet Pete, the Leicester chap crowned Britain's Disabled Strongman'; 'Black History Month 2023 is the year of Saluting Our Sisters - and why that matters more than ever'. When a topic reflects negatively on communities - such as this year's anniversary of the religious unrest in Leicester in 2022 - we spend time pre-publication discussing and assessing our approach and tone to ensure our coverage is accurate, fair and balanced, and not unconsciously inflammatory. The diverse voices in our reporting team are always part of the conversation. We are sensitive to 'othering' and ensure our work actively breaks down barriers which support and/or promote it, especially through 'human' first person pieces and explainers. Examples: 'The 'home away from home' in centre of Leicester for refugees and asylum seekers'; 'How much do you know about Eid ul-Adha? Take our quiz to find out'.

LeicestershireLive strives to set the standard for regional news organisations on reporting on communities.