Are newspapers still an essential part of democracy?

This week, The Guelph Mercury and The Nanaimo Daily News both published their final editions. Between them, they have nearly 300 years of ink-stained history. It's just the latest in a long string of bad news at Canadian newspapers and cause for much hand-wringing about the future. But skeptics say we're clinging to a romantic idea of newspapers that doesn't stand up to scrutiny. 

Kelly Toughill, Director of the School of Journalism at University of King's College and Marsha Lederman, Western Arts Correspondent with the Globe and Mail join Brent for a debate on whether newspapers are still an essential part of Canadian democracy.

Check out what Kelly Toughill and Marsha Lederman have written about this, here and here.