ECHO News General Manager and Editor Peter W Lewis last week presented at the Swan Chamber of Commerce monthly ‘Hour of Power’ session to a capacity crowd of members.

Mr Lewis talked about his 40 year career in journalism, corporate communications, and stakeholder engagement before taking the audience on a tour of the new Echo News website and the advantages it presents to readers and advertisers.

The Echo website now attracts more than 100,000 hits a month and coupled with our Facebook and other social media reach of a further 20,000 views a month, ensures our community news and advertising has further reach beyond our printed copies.

“People can also now look up previous editions as a pdf as well as the growing archive of digital news, community information, real estate, sport and our investigative journalism in our special reports section,” Mr Lewis said.

“As the years move on being able to archive news and information regarding our local community will become an important historical resource that we at the Echo are proud of.”

“As social media has continued on its path, we are now being recognised for the legitimate role we play and the trusted news and advertising that we offer.

“Just when social media had almost decimated most printed regional and suburban papers those like the Echo that have survived are now stronger and more believed than any other news source.

“Why? Because we are real – we have an office that people can walk into, we have phone numbers that do not lead to a scam, we have letters to the editor so readers can express their views, we have a team of four independent journalists that can discern the information that we publish, and if needed take weeks to delve into a story.

“Our new website is now a live news source and an archive of our readership area from the plains and the vineyards, to the hills extending to the Wheatbelt,” Mr Lewis said.