Founded in 1882 by local stationer and printer J.E. Knight, the Witney Gazette came into being to provide a dedicated regional newspaper for the residents of Witney and the surrounding West Oxfordshire region. The idea sparked when local publishers realized that the growing market town and its surrounding rural communities lacked a regular news record focused specifically on local trade, council decisions, and community developments. Today, the website and newspaper operate under the ownership of Newsquest Media Group, one of the UK's largest regional publishers. Today, the Witney Gazette is based in Witney, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom, and focuses on covering a wide variety of news topics, including local politics, town council planning, police and crime updates, regional sports, community events, and lifestyle stories across West Oxfordshire. They have made a name for themselves among local residents and business owners looking for daily community reporting and watchdog coverage in their district. One interesting fact: A unique fact about the Witney Gazette is that for over a century, its reporting was closely tied to Witney's world-famous wool and blanket manufacturing industry, serving as the primary historical record for the town's famous blanket mills before the last factory closed in the early 2000s.