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Join the conversation: CBC journalists to discuss why community coverage matters at London, Ont., event

As CBC prepares to launch an expanded station in London, Ont., some of CBC's top journalists will travel to the city to talk about the importance of strong local coverage.

The panel discussion, part of The National in Conversation series, will be held April 25 in front of a live audience. The discussion will focus on why it matters to journalists to start their coverage in the community and how that helps Canadians understand the story.

"As journalists we always seek to get as close to the story as possible," says CBC News chief correspondent Peter Mansbridge, who will lead the conversation.

"We want to be open and transparent about our process and hear from our audience about what they want to know about how we do our work."

CBC journalists take your questions

The panel will feature a number of prominent CBC journalists who have years of experience bringing Canadians stories from their own backyards and around the world. They include:

- Paul Hunter, foreign correspondent based in Washington.

- Duncan McCue, host of Cross Country Checkup and investigative journalist.

- Heather Hiscox, morning host of CBC News Network.

- Dwight Drummond, host of CBC News Toronto.

- Susan Ormiston, CBC senior correspondent.

- Renee Filippone, senior business reporter.

The panel will answer questions from the live audience and online, speaking frankly about their work covering stories of significance in communities.

The event is being held at the Wolf Performance Hall, next to CBC London's soon-to-open station, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. ET. Tickets are free to local audiences, while the rest of the country can join the live stream at the same time on CBCNews.ca, Facebook and YouTube.

"We are looking forward to connecting with people in London and across the country digitally for our third National in Conversation," Mansbridge says.

Mansbridge has hosted two previous "sold out" panel discussions in Vancouver exploring the importance of investigative journalism, and most recently in P.E.I. where panellists discussed the changing nature of news.

Watch those conversations here:

'The best journalism happens on the ground'

Panellist Duncan McCue, who talks to Canadians every week on the phone-in show Cross Country Checkup, says the London event could generate discussion about building trust in communities and how, once it's earned, journalists can more accurately tell the story.

"The best journalism always happens on the ground," McCue says.

"It's how we build community and do our best work reflecting what matters most to the people directly involved in a story."