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If the scholar W.P. Ker was correct in defining the essence of an epic as “the defense of a narrow place, against odds,” then journalism in the Bronx has been taking on epic proportions for a number of years now.

As the city’s large daily newspapers have reduced their coverage of the outer boroughs to a bare minimum, it has become ever more challenging for the remaining journalists to uncover how politicians, developers and others with power are shaping the lives of Riverdalians and the rest of this borough’s roughly 1.4 million residents.

Still, The Press and a handful of other local outlets are continuing to fight for our communities, as a few recent examples show.

When The Press gave voice in August to a resident who lamented that Ft. Independence Park lacked a working water fountain and adequate trash removal, the day the issue with that piece came out, the city sent workers to install a fountain and perform a cleanup.

During the height of this year’s campaign season, we reported on the Child Victims Act, the bill to remove barriers to prosecuting sexual predators in New York State. 

The Press found that activists seeking justice for years of abuse at Horace Mann School and other institutions were furious at state Sen. Jeff Klein and other officials in Albany for letting the act stall. 

The following week, Mr. Klein wrote a letter changing his tune and saying he ardently supports the legislation. Though the senator faces a new political landscape in Albany, we hope he’ll use his influence to move that bill.

A look at the archives in our 5676 Riverdale Ave. office — which community members are always welcome to visit — turns up more examples of the impact of our reporting, like the establishment of the neighborhood’s Special Natural Area Districts in the 1970s, the creation of the IN-Tech Academy in 2005 and the exposure of a system of court patronage benefitting politically connected lawyers last year.