The death of daily newspapers has been predicted for decades, but in the past year their decline accelerated. The consequence of diminished investigative reporting is especially dire on the Gulf Coast where communities remain in the throes of post-disaster recovery, with public policies undergoing major reform and billions in federal recovery dollars being spent with little oversight or accountability. The huge stakes here did not prevent Advance Publications, owner the Greater New Orleans region’s only daily newspaper, The Times Picayune, from recently announcing plans to further shrink its newsroom – and further erode coverage of the critical issues facing this uniquely challenged region.