More gloom as columnists warn over future of local press as democracy watchdog

With more regional press gloom today as Northcliffe predicts total job losses of 1,000 in the division as ad revenues continue to fall, it was good to see two national columnists stressing the importance of the local press to local democracy.
Johann Hari in The Independent and Ian Jack in The Guardian both looked at the crisis facing regional newspapers and the negative impact it would have on keeping local authorities under scrutiny.