The need for local newspapers to be free to scrutinize authority and hold the powerful to account is to be highlighted in this week’s Local Newspaper week.

With discussions still ongoing over the future of press regulation in the wake of the Leveson Report, the Newspaper Society has decided to use this year’s event to highlight press freedom issues.

It said in a press statement today:  “This year, the Week will aim to highlight how local newspapers’ ability to underpin local democracy is dependent upon their freedom to report freely without being restricted.

The Week will be held between 13 –19 May, the same week as the Society of Editors Regional Press Awards which take place on 17 May.

Last year’s Week saw newspapers highlighting their role in telling the story of important national events the London Olympics and Diamond Jubilee.

Contributors included The Queen who wrote an article highlighting local papers as a “fundamental part of the fabric of our communities.”