'What blogger will sit in Glossop magistrates court all day?'

That is the question posed by journalist George Dearsley on his blog in a comment on the story that London court reporting agency Strand News is asking its customers for support during these tough economic times.
George says: "Clever people talk of micro-blogging replacing local journalism. But what blogger will sit in Glossop magistrates court all day? And court reporting is an art, for which an impeccable shorthand note is needed. Even if he was willing, does that micro-blogger have the relevant skills? Of course, newspapers should not be immune from general economic pressures. But the plight of companies like Strand News is an example of the very serious consequences that will follow the breakdown of traditional news coverage."
It rather echoes the comment by the creator of The Wire, David Simon, a former Baltimore Sun crime reporter, who told a US Senate Committee: "You do not - in my city - run into bloggers or so-called citizen journalists at City Hall, or in the courthouse hallways or in the bars and union halls where police officers gather."