Civic leaders across the district have expressed their support for the role played by local newspapers such as the Advertiser series.

Their comments were made to coincide with Local Newspaper Week 2010, the annual event organised by the Newspaper Society which was founded in 1836 and is believed to be the oldest publishers' association in the world.

Its members include 1,200 daily and weekly, paid-for and free newspaper titles, as well as 1,500 websites, 600 niche or 'ultra local' titles, 43 radio stations and two TV stations.

This year the theme is Your Voice, with a focus on the importance of independent local journalism, relevant to readers' lives and trusted by communities to hold public bodies to account.

A man never far from our pages, Cllr Alan Connett, who is leader of Teignbridge Council, said: 'There's nothing better on a Friday than sitting down with the local newspaper and a mug of tea to catch up on all the local news and features.

'Local papers are part of the fabric of our community and play a vital role in reporting on local councils, the NHS, police and a wide variety of organisations and events that take place locally.'

The authority's chief executive, Nicola Bulbeck, said: 'We always welcome fair and accurate reporting of the issues affecting local people and are pleased to have local newspapers which can act as a barometer for public opinion on issues while also recognising the vital role that councils and other bodies play in providing good quality local services. 

'There is no public authority or individual that should be beyond scrutiny and our local newspapers have an important responsibility in providing accurate, honest and balanced coverage to their readers.

Mel Stride, who last week was elected to serve as the first MP for the new Central Devon seat, spoke about the interactive nature of local newspapers during the parliamentary expenses row.

'Local newspapers were able to explain what had happened in their area and the letters page of course was an excellent forum in which readers could register what they felt about the situation and get the debate started,' he said.

Richard Younger-Ross was the Liberal Democrat who represented Teignbridge in the House of Commons since 2001 but who failed to win the new Newton Abbot seat by just 500 votes.

He made the headlines last year after having to pay back £6,500 for furniture bought for his London flat.

He said about the Mid-Devon Advertiser series: 'The MDA is an excellent local paper with fair and balanced reporting and is a great place to find out about local events and people.

'We would be less informed and our lives much duller were the MDA no longer around.'

Ruth Davey, editorial manager of the Advertiser series, said the impartial and accurate reporting of everything from political scandals to village fetes was at the heart of everything her team did.

'We have been part of this community for almost 150 years and that is only because we are trusted by the people who live here to give them the news and information they need,' she said.

'We cherish our position and are deeply grateful to our loyal readership for their support.

'We will do everything we can to ensure we are still here in another 150 years and that is why we continue to embrace the best of new technology and why we were the only news group to bring the people of Newton Abbot and Central Devon minute-by-minute coverage from the overnight counts in last week's general election via our website and Twitter feeds.

'We may be local, but we are not parochial.'