| BY Ricki Green |

A new independent inner-Sydney newspaper is set to launch in print and online in the first half of May.

Neighbourhood will engage with one of the most demographically varied and culturally dynamic communities in the entire country.

The editorial direction emphasises in-depth features along with community issues, opinion, reviews, art, poetry and humour. This content will connect to a sophisticated, streetwise and media-aware community that lives locally but thinks globally.

Operating as a micro-niche publication, Neighbourhood takes a stone-in-the-pool approach, recognizing that a targeted and valued relationship with this high-density arts, business and media community ripples outwards in very significant ways.

The monthly paper will be hand-delivered for free to over 75,000 homes and businesses in the Inner East, Inner West and Inner City of Sydney.

The online site Neighbourhoodpaper.com broadens that process by inviting a national audience into the community conversation that is built on content quality, creativity, integrity and shared global perspectives.

Publisher Jonathan Samway says it was a belief in the power of telling good stories that inspired him to launch the newspaper.

Says Samway: “Whether it’s film, television, advertising or news, the digital revolution of the last decade has changed things – radically. The pipe has widened, and there is so much information, so many choices, so much distraction and splintering. Media adaptation has to be about creating a significant micro-niche audience who are engaged with what you’re doing. Good storytelling assures that active engagement and that potent, focused audience.

“Now is the time for quality, local print news to thrive alongside digital.”

Says Mark Mordue, award-winning journalist and Neighbourhood editor: “Because people are being overwhelmed by the digital flood of information there’s an increasing demand for local content and publications that can be trusted. Trust, community and connection are the premium qualities people are seeking.

Being printed monthly, Neighbourhood’s content will focus on issues as much as news while its local perspective allows it to drill down into the heart of what is going on in its readers’ suburbs.

Says Mordue: “The fact Neighbourhood is home-delivered across inner Sydney is an obvious plus for securing a grounded presence in the community. But it is what’s inside the publication and the relationship we create with our readers – in print and online – that will earn us our genuine connection.

“We’ve seen a perfect storm in the media over the last decade, but I believe there is light on the horizon. Quality, depth, reliability, a deep sense of community; it’s the only place to go. And it’s where we are headed – with an audience that wants it most.”

The paper was created through Sydney-based Moth Projects, which is owned by Samway. The publication is a natural evolution of Moth Project’s identity as a multi-disciplinary high-end film production group and content creator.

Neighbourhood is working with integrated PR agency Poem for the launch. The paper will continue expanding the sales and partnerships team in the coming months.