QUESTION: Which dying industry's products are consumed by more than half the British population every single week?

I'll give you a clue - you're holding one.

This week is Local Newspaper Week, a celebration of the under-appreciated world of regional journalism.

It's the seven days out of 365 when we humble hacks stop talking down our profession and start to defend our sometimes noble trade.

Open the media pages of any national newspaper and you will not have to look far to find some professor or industry expert telling you that print is dying, that the newspaper industry's future is as bright as that of the dodo or the Betamax.

And yet, despite more than a decade of this naysaying, 32.9 million people in this country read a local newspaper each week. That's more than half the population.

Of course, some readers now choose to access that news online rather than in print and a lot of people do both. But, fundamentally, the growth of the internet is nothing to fear.

Radio didn't kill newspapers, nor did TV finish off the humble wireless.

The internet has changed the way we do business and will undoubtedly become more important in the decades ahead. But good old-fashioned dead tree technology will persist alongside the worldwide web for years to come.

Local Newspaper Week is a good way of addressing one of the key weaknesses of regional journalism and that's our reluctance to promote what we do.

Like all journalists we're rather cynical sorts to whom bragging does not come naturally.

But, if only for seven days of the year it's good that some of us feel we have licence to celebrate the industry which puts food on our table.

If theres one thing that makes local newspapers great, its the variety of stories we offer every day. All human life is here, as Neil Hannon from the Divine Comedy might say.

To illustrate the point, I took a look at my blacks earlier this week.

Now, before you write in to complain, I should explain that a reporter's black articles are an archive of the pieces the journalist has sent through to newsdesk in the last few weeks.

When I checked on Monday, I found I had 94 blacks going back to April 29, ranging from three-line nibs (news in briefs) to a page lead of more than 1,000 words.

Some of you may know me from my work as local government reporter so it's no surprise that there was a lot of Kirklees Council stuff in my blacks.

There was a preview of the May 3 election and then a report from the count floor at Huddersfield Sports Centre, including quotes from the victors and vanquished.

I also wrote a piece about Christine Iredale, the Lib Dem who had been due to become Mayor of Kirklees today until the people of Golcar turfed her out of office at this month's poll.

The controversies within Kirklees were well documented too, with three pieces about the council's plan to withdraw paid staff from libraries.

My blacks also included a piece about politicians' expenses and an update on Unison's latest strike plan.

And I kept an eye on the Huddersfield area MPs, sending through articles about their views on gay marriage and other high profile issues.

I tried to hold the powerful to account whether it was Kirklees for wasting money on the Civic Centre turbines or E.On for picking the lock of a woman's house in Milnsbridge.

But I'm not a one-trick pony. Or, put another way, I can't spend all day perusing Kirklees documents. I have to pitch in and help with general news coverage.

So my blacks also included a nib about a crash on the M62, a piece about a fire in Brockholes and a story about a traffic accident in Mirfield. There was a report about a high-speed car chase in Fartown. I arrived at the scene while a gentleman in handcuffs was standing in the street helping police with their enquiries.

And there was a bit of human interest too like the story about the Crosland Moor couple finally tying the knot after 25 years together or the tale of the Titanic sinking in a garden in Longwood.

Thanks to our Neighbourhood News section, there are also some pieces about events and organisations in the Colne Valley, from the new boxing club in Linthwaite to the plans for this year's Golcar Lily Day to the fundraising efforts of Slaithwaite Band.

All this and quite a lot more written in just three weeks by only one reporter.

Put together all our efforts and you get a wealth of organisations mentioned in every edition of the Examiner, a huge number of names recorded and faces pictured for future generations.

And all this is brought to you by a small but dedicated team of journalists.

Youre holding the product of a living industry and the first rough draft of Huddersfield's history. Cherish it.