Today DevonLive celebrates the start of Journalism Matters week - and we are asking for your help in deciding what to cover moving forward.

Acting on behalf of the public, we as local news media journalists reveal truths that would otherwise remain hidden. In the last twelve months we have covered huge stories across Devon and held power to account.

In out list below we reveal just some of the important work by our journalists.

Each day our website received an average of 410,000 page views, and want to take advantage of our huge audience for the right reasons.

We thank our readers, for your continued support of our journalism and the vital part it plays in our society but we know we can do better. Do you feel there is a local issue we should be covering ? Or something that matters to the county that is going unreported? We know each story isn't to everyone's taste but time to let us know in the comment section below, on social media and as always our private inbox is open to readers who want to help us report the news that matters to you.

 Rich Booth, Editor

Here we introduce you to our reporters and what they are proud to have worked on in recent months:

Anita Merritt - Agenda writer

Anita Merritt has worked tirelessly on a series of ongoing stories about Persimmon Homes. For some time she had been hearing new build horror stories and was alarmed to be told by an Exeter resident that homes in a new development in the city were missing vital fire safety barriers.

Through her stories more and more homeowners not just in Exeter but across the South West, and even nationally, now know that they can request inspections. She continues to write updated stories and persist on holding Persimmons to account.

Anita has also worked on a project centred around the shocking vaginal mesh scandal. Many were unaware of how horrifically life-changing the surgery could be until Anita interviewed Susan Morgan who bravely shared her story in the hope that no other woman would suffer like she had.

Devon hospitals claimed they were no longer using vaginal mesh implants, but through further investigation, it emerged the controversial material was still being used for the treatment of incontinence.

Further woman have come forward to share their stories, and some of those were invited to take part in a government safety review.

Alex Richards - Deputy head of content

Alex Richards is the deputy head of content for Devon Live and truly believes Trusted News Week remains a crucial statement as fabricated news and facts continue to run amok on social media.

And it begins today, just 10 days after the UK local elections. So what better snapshot of our regular trusted, unbiased coverage in 2019 than ours at Devon Live?

Alex’s aim with election coverage before the polls opened, before an overnight shift from Alex to keep the county well informed when the results came in, was to make sure voters knew who exactly they were putting their cross next to outside the main parties. And alongside work from colleagues Edward Oldfield and Daniel Clark, this was so.

One such candidate in this year’s election whose background was presented to voters was Frankie Rufolo. On the ballot presenting the image of a passionate young man standing for immigration issues and the pushing forward of Brexit.

However, Alex was made aware of a post on social media in which he admitted to setting alight a copy of the Quran at a city pub in a heated argument. An act which exemplified his strong criticism of organised religion, specifically Islam.

It was decided that he be invited him into the office and explain his action.  Balanced and fair, the resulting article left it to the reader, armed with the facts, to decide how they cast their vote. On results night, he came last in the ward with 113 votes.

Jamie Hawkins - Live news reporter

Jamie Hawkins works as the early morning live reporter for Devon Live.

He covers the latest breaking news incidents across the county, from crashes to fires.

One of Jamie’s biggest stories over the past 12 months was his coverage of the huge police incident at Cullompton services earlier this year.

Devon Live was alerted to this incident after a photo was sent in of dozens of police cars and the NPAS helicopter at the M5 services.

Jamie quickly started a live blog on the incident, and sent a reporter to the scene and contacted police to find out more about what was happening.

It involved a lorry which was found to have several people in the back of it.

The huge operation was a police chase from Cornwall after a group of people were seen getting in the back of a van from a boat.

The van was later located with 29 foreign nationals that included women and children.

Four men were arrested at the scene.

Abbie Bray - Regional TV and celebrity reporter

Abbie Bray has worked together with mental health groups and charities over the past year in a bid to raise awareness of mental health in young men following the spate of a number of deaths in Devon.

The number of young men who tragically end their lives has been increasing for many years, but the issue has become more apparent in Devon during the past year with an alarming eight deaths believed to be linked to mental health issues.

Each tragically involved young men between the ages of 22 and 37 and their untimely deaths have left their family and friends shocked and devastated.

In August 2018, two well-known men from Newton Abbot took their lives within 24 hours of each other and within the past month another three deaths in Newton Abbot have shocked the entire community.

Through Abbie's stories,  not only has she raised awareness of mental health but more men have come forward and have spoken of their experience and struggles with mental health.

Howard Lloyd - Live news reporter

Howard Lloyd is a newcomer to the digital team, having moved from the sports desk in January. However, within that time, he has worked on stories ranging from a triple murder in Exeter to a feature on the city’s underground passages.

Most recently, he has focused on the issue of domestic waste disposal in the Mid Devon town of Cullompton – an issue which has become so serious that one restaurateur has been forced out of her High Street premesis. After pursuing this story, Mid Devon District Council has dealt with the issue head-on, launching emergency rubbish collections, performing regular stop-checks at the scene and finding solutions with landlords.

Other pieces include unearthing some of the hidden gems around Devon, including Exeter’s House That Moved and The Little Bakery in Cullompton, and finding out more about some of Exeter’s much-loved locals like The Sawyers Arms and The Green Gables.

Howard Lloyd takes a look around The Little Bakery in Cullompton:

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Paul Greaves - Crime reporter

The discovery of three bodies in Exeter sparked a media frenzy which hit the national headline. Paul, along with colleagues, covered the unprecedented murder investigation conducted by Devon and Cornwall Police in the wake of the killings.

He attended press briefings with national media, interviewed senior detectives on the case and reported from court on each occasion the suspect appeared. The investigation triggered massive public interest and required accurate and responsible reporting from the team.

Paul also covers criminal cases heard at the magistrates and crown courts in Exeter. The courts are a pillar of the democratic process. A journalist covering proceedings acts as the 'eyes and ears' of the public. Paul ensures hearings are reported accurately and are fair to both the defendant and victim.

Darrell Rose denied the murder of Geraldine Mellor at her supported living address in the city. Paul live blogged the trial, produced written articles of the opening, prosecution case, defence, verdict and sentence. The trial highlighted the issue of domestic violence. He spoke to the victim's family and senior police officers who compiled the case which brought Rose to justice.

Daniel Clark - Local Democracy Reporter for Devon County Council and district councils

Daniel Clark works as the Local Democracy Reporter for Devon. Since being appointed in 2018, he is one of 150 LDRs providing impartial coverage of local authorities across England, Wales and Scotland who have filed more than 60,000 stories since the scheme began.

His stories have come from being inside the council chambers again and shining a light into the corners of local authorities and reporting on what has been happening.

From reading through long and detailed agenda documents, scouring the planning portal for the latest planning applications, sitting in committee meetings that sometimes feel like they will never end, he has kept abreast of what decisions councils make and how they come about them, and provided reports explaining the decisions that the councillors – who you elect – are taking on your behalf.

Daniel broke the exclusive news that the leader of East Devon District Council had quit the Conservative Party, provided a comprehensive coverage of the election counts across the county, as well as reading through Local Plan and Vision Documents to explain exactly what is planned for your area over the next 20 years.

Ed Oldfield - Local Democracy Reporter for Torbay and Plymouth

Ed Oldfield is the Local Democracy Reporter for Torbay and Plymouth, covering both top-tier unitary authorities. He is one of around 150 LDRs in England, Wales and Scotland, providing impartial coverage of local councils.

Ed was part of a team providing detailed coverage of the local council elections across Devon on May 2, and he continues to report on the progress in Torbay, which ended up with no party in overall control of the council.

His work during the election included looking into the background of a candidate who had convictions for dishonesty under a previous identity. Allegations emerged that he was in breach of a ban on being a company director, and Ed reported the details ahead of the election despite a legal challenge to suppress the information.

An important part of the job is attending council meetings and reporting decision and the reasons behind them, so local people can find out what is being said and done on their behalf by the people they have elected.

It involves checking lists of planning applications and reading council reports and documents to keep a close eye on the wide ranging activities of the councils, from collecting the bins to repairing roads and caring for the most vulnerable, from at-risk children to the homeless.

The remit also covers publicly-funded and accountable organisations including the NHS, fire service and police.

Joel Cooper - Chief reporter

Based in North Devon, Joel Cooper has reported on more than his fair share of fatal car crashes on the North Devon Link Road.

Confused as to why more was not being done to improve the safety of the A361, Joel led the way with launching Devon Live's 'We need it now' campaign which put pressure on the powers that be to spend money on improving and upgrading the road between Tiverton and Barnstaple which is a lifeline for so many.

That campaign came to fruition at the start of 2019 when plans to spend £93m on the link road were unanimously approved at Devon County Council.

Joel is a multi-talented journalist who writes stories covering every facet of life in North Devon.

Watch Joel Cooper report from the scene of a fire below

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Another of his stand out articles from the last year is when he got inside a homemade chemical lab which sparked a major bomb scare in Bideford, interviewing the owner at length on camera before writing a comprehensive report of what he found.

 

Colleen Smith - South Devon reporter

Colleen has spent 40 years covering the South Devon patch - a huge area which stretches down the A38 to Kingsbridge and along the coast to Dawlish. 

In the last few months fascinating stories have included an exposé about the 'Walter Mitty' character who fooled everybody into believing that he was multi-millionaire property developer Mike Hargreaves. He was talking to Torbay Council about big plans to save run-down Paignton town centre - including the Crossways shopping centre. But Colleen spoke to the real Mike Hargreaves who revealed that the same imposter had posed as him on earlier occasions - once conning his way into  living in one of his luxury apartments for six months.

Colleen has also written about transgender woman Chantelle Saunders' fight for better hospital treatment. After Devon Live published Chantelle's story she was invited back into the Royal Devon and Exeter hospital trust to help improve services for others going through the difficult transitioning process.

Live, breaking news events which Colleen has attended include the huge fire at the church which housed Torquay's former Rainbow Fun House and the terrible day Newton Abbot had three deaths and an escaped prisoner.

Colleen is also interested in delving into historical stories about South Devon - including a list of the 30 famous people you never knew lived in Torquay, the heartbreaking mystery of a baby found dead by the River Teign and the horrific story about the boy who died in the old Marine Spa swimming pool.