Story from Guardian.co.uk Twittered by Rob Paterson and Jeff Jarvis

I, too, mourn good local newspapers. But this lot just aren’t worth saving

The idea of democratic flag-bearers died decades ago. I can count on one hand those brave enough to speak truth to power

By George Monbiot – They are the pillars of the community, champions of the underdog, the scourge of corruption, defenders of free speech. Their demise could deal a mortal blow to democracy. Any guesses yet? How many of you thought of local newspapers?

But this is the universal view of the national media: local papers – half of which, on current trends, are in danger of going down in the next five years – are all that stand between us and creeping dictatorship.

Like my colleagues, I mourn their death; unlike them I believe it happened decades ago. For many years the local press has been one of Britain’s most potent threats to democracy, championing the overdog, misrepresenting democratic choices, defending business, the police and local elites from those who seek to challenge them. Media commentators lament the death of what might have been. It bears no relationship to what is. Rest of the story