Bill Keller, the executive editor of the New York Times, warned last week that reliable news reporting is dwindling, speaking at the Hugo Young memorial lecture in London. Keller said bloggers, internet search engines and satirical talk shows had blossomed across the world but could never replace reporting.

“The civic labour performed by journalists on the ground cannot be replicated by legions of bloggers sitting hunched over their computer screens,” Keller said.

“It cannot be replaced by a search engine. It cannot be supplanted by shouting heads or satirical television shows. What is absent from the vast array of new media outlets is, first and foremost, the great engine of newsgathering - the people who witness events, ferret out information, supply context and explanation.”

Even in locations that were the source of major news stories, such as Baghdad, the number of reporters was declining, Keller said. “Here’s a statistic that should make your heart sink. When Saddam Hussein fell, there were more than 1,000 western reporters in Iraq. Today, at any given time, there are about 50.”

“There are lots and lots of places you can go for opinions about the war, but there are few places, and fewer by the day, where you can go to find honest, on-the-scene reporting about what is happening,” he added.

“Google News and Wikipedia don’t have bureaux in Baghdad, or anywhere else. With a few exceptions, they do not - in the cold terminology of the 21st century media business - create content.”

well, google doesn't cook and will never cook me food.

 but very soon i may not be able to cook or find some

 food without it.