By Matthew Davis BBC News, Washington

For many US newspapers, Ford's decision to cut up to 30,000 jobs in a bid to revive its business has failed to lift uncertainty over the company's future, or over the fate of its workforce.

Ford may be a US institution, but its future is not guaranteed

While the company says 14 factories will close, only five have been named, leaving thousands of workers facing anxious futures.

With the news coming just a month after General Motors announced a similar retrenchment, the New York Times said US auto workers were waking up to "a new reality".

"One in which $30-an-hour wages and generous benefits are no longer a guarantee," the paper said.

For the Wall Street Journal, the "question now is whether the cuts at Detroit's giants are the beginning of a new, more competitive era, or just the beginning of the end".

"Indeed," said the paper, "the restructurings highlight the divide between Asian and European manufacturers, which are profitable and adding jobs in the US, and GM and Ford, which are struggling with the cost burdens piled on over decades during which they had little real competition."

Call for federal aid

Many pundits suggest cutbacks alone will not be enough to pull Ford out of its steep decline.

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The San Francisco Chronicle suggested: "Much its once-celebrated sport-utility vehicle, the Explorer, Ford Motor Company had become too inefficient, too costly and simply too big to handle."

It calls on CEO William Ford Jr to "recognize that the American roadway won't be found by simply downsizing, but by holding the same standards for his cars as he should hold for his company - better, smarter and more efficient".

Much of the early political reaction to the company's restructuring came from the affected states, particularly Michigan, where Ford is based.

Many newspapers there carried comments from the state's senior Democratic representative calling for changes in trade and tax policy to help US automakers better compete with overseas rivals.

Yet the Bush administration does not support substantial government help for US auto companies similar to the cash bailouts to help ailing US airlines, so the future of some plants rely on state-level intervention.

In St Louis, Missouri, the Post-Dispatch newspaper reported on local efforts to save the Hazelwood plant.

"In 2003, the St Louis region pulled off a remarkable economic rescue. Working together, government officials and union workers convinced Ford Motor Company to keep its Hazelwood plant open despite the company's vow to close it.

"Governor Matt Blunt has the right attitude. He wants to "partner" with Ford, offering to bolster any new company investments in Hazelwood with state incentives."

'Grief, fear and anger'

Meanwhile, the unions focused their response on the lingering uncertainties for workers.

In a widely reported statement, UAW President Ron Gettelfinger and Vice President Gerald Bantom said: "The announcement has further left a cloud hanging over the entire work force because of pending future announcements of additional facilities to be closed at some point in the future."

The pair said Ford should be trying to gain market share, rather than aligning production capacity with shrinking demand for the company's vehicles.

Local and national newspapers also focused on the despair at individual assembly plants.

The Detroit Free Press said: "Grief, fear and anger swept across the city of Wixom [in Michigan].

"From the factory floor to bars, restaurants and living rooms, people in the city of 14,000 hung their heads...

"'The sprawling plant isn't just Wixom's biggest employer - it's the city's backbone and character,' said Denise Miracle, a bartender at the gritty Wixom Bar."