Why do local news operations have no app to offer, or when they do, it is a poor one? Why are our news sites so dull? In the rush to cut costs, we have forgotten or lost the essential skills of news design.

This may sound like an obtuse concern, but it is fundamental to how we consume news and how news operations build their credibility and usefulness among wary and sceptical consumers. It reflects whether editors are doing what they are paid to do...