Slightly off topic but I see that the East Kent Mercury has sold off its office.
https://www.kentonline.co.uk/deal/news/office-auction-is-end-of-era-for-mercury-newspaper-239103/
Both the Mercury and the Dover Express are no longer the publications they were, happily regurgitating press releases from DHB/DDC without comment, and filling their letters pages with ill informed and generic letters from all over the county on topics such as Brexit and the Chinese Bat Flu rather than 'local' topics.
All staff will be plagiarising from home.
Investigative reporting disappeared years ago.
Unfortunately I suspect this will mean even more lunacy being done by our local council, reported after the event, if at all (see Maison Dieu cycle lane) and only mega scandals ( e.g. the likes of 'Sniffer' Rix) being reported via cut and paste from national titles.
Not good for local democracy. Not good for open government. Not good for accountability.
