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New book focuses on future of local press

A new book is to be published next month focusing on the rise and fall – and possible rise again – of the regional press industry.

Following the success of the book What Do We Mean By Local?, published last year, its editors have put together a second edition featuring a range of views about the industry’s future prospects.

Contributors include former editors Alan Geere and Paul Robertson, Society of Editors boss Bob Satchwell, editor-turned-lecturer Tor Clark and the editorial director of the KM Group, Ian Carter.

Ten of the chapters are to be serialised on HoldtheFrontPage over the next fortnight, beginning today with a contribution by former Newsquest executive Anthony Longden, who argues that the advent of free newspapers was a key moment in the industry’s decline.

The book, which will be published on 1 September, is co-edited by Oxford-based journalism academics John Mair and Richard Keeble and former regional daily editor Neil Fowler.

Said John:  “We decided to update the local book because so much has changed in local journalism in the eighteen months since it was first published – some for the good, some for the bad.

“This edition has more than half new contributions or updated ones. It is a bran tub full of ideas.”

HoldtheFrontPage publisher Paul Linford added: “Some of the chapters in the new edition of What Do We Mean By Local? are sure to provoke lively debate among readers.

“But like HTFP, all of the contributors have the future of the industry at heart and we are very pleased to be featuring these extracts on the site.”