AS the Oxford Mail joins forces with other local and regional titles to fight against fake news, it is important to reflect on why trusted local papers remain vitally important.

Last year we launched our Drive for Justice campaign, sparked by the heartbreaking stories of families who contacted us outraged at the often lenient penalties dished out to drivers.

Families have been campaigning to bring death by dangerous driving in line with manslaughter, meaning the maximum sentence would rise from 14 years to life.

Campaigns such as these can have a real difference.

The Ministry of Justice had already launched a consultation on sentencing but the Drive for Justice campaign helped bring this to wider attention.

Thousands of people had their say on the consultation, reflecting how strongly readers feel about the issue.

In recent years there have been a number of high profile incidents involving drivers who have killed others while being reckless on our roads.

In August 2016, Tomasz Kroker killed a family-of-four on the A34 while distracted by his mobile phone.

He was later jailed for 10 years for causing death by dangerous driving.

Our report on the tragedy, which featured dash-cam footage of Kroker fumbling with his phone moments before the crash, was viewed almost 300,000 times and shared by thousands.

It can be easy to underestimate the importance of campaigns such as Drive for Justice, but they help victims fight for changes in a way they would struggle to do by themselves.

Campaigns also allow the authorities to get their message across as well.

The Oxford Mail worked with Thames Valley Police as they targeted motorists who were using their mobile phones while driving.

The force wants to make doing so as unacceptable as drink driving and was able to work with us to get that message across to as many people as possible.

Sometimes it can seem easy for anyone to mount a campaign nowadays using social media, but to think that would be to ignore the resources and readership of local newspapers.

Campaigning can help deliver real results and we will continue to do so in order to speak out against injustice and deliver results for the people of Oxfordshire.