EDITOR'S BLOG: Is there no news anymore?

That's the question asked to us at thisiscornwall by a reader this week.

Gill in Truro was so incensed by our reporter Jenna

Firth's blog - in which she has campaigned for people to use local,

independent stores over global chains such as Tesco - that she felt compelled

to write the following:

"Is there no NEWS anymore, just rantings on these blogs?

Please, someone, get out of the office and go and do some reporting for once -

there's a lot of community news waiting to be heard."

Taking the rough with the smooth

Now, we love to hear the views of our readers - we really do.

However, I find Gill's comment incredible, as never before has so much news

been available at your fingertips.

Until late 2007, the only news you could get online for Cornwall was pretty

much the once-weekly uploads from local newspapers, including ourselves.

Since then the world has changed dramatically. 24/7 news is now expected, not a

luxury. Here at thisiscornwall we have upped our game massively, as have our

fellow news providers.

Keep on blogging in a free world

And there's no denying that blogs are an important and popular part of the

modern news service (along with social media such as Twitter - find me here). It's an alternate

take on what's going on in our world and every newspaper has them.

As I write this, Jenna's

blog in question is also currently the #2 most commented story. Yes, some

have criticised her views, but that's partly the point.

I won't dwell on defending the blogs section or anything we do - I don't

need to.

The fact is we add a new blog each day, somtimes two. Occasionally we might

even add three. Oooh.

But that's nothing compared to the massive amount of news articles uploaded - somethimes hundreds in a day, though not all onto the headlines homepage, obviously.

What I will do is show why comments such as "get out of the office and

do some reporting for once" are unfounded.

What are you doing in that big Truro office???

We have more reporters in every area across the county than anyone else, who

work their hardest to bring more local news as it happens from their district

offices.

And online, we're now uploading far more content than ever before. Our

reporters have broken massive stories on our headlines homepage before anyone

else, while also adding stories on around 50 ultra-local sites (such as thisiscornwall.co.uk/hayle, thisiscornwall.co.uk/helston,

/Bodmin or /Fowey - more news on these

to come very shortly).

Did I mention this happens throughout the day, seven days a week?

That's in addition to all the "extras" such as video, forums,

competitions and slideshows - for example, featuring 200 pictures of the recent

snow in an interactive map was something we could never do justice in our

papers.

At the heart of all things local

Our reporters are still out there - going into schools, attending council

meetings, talking with local business owners, interviewing award-winners and

chatting with townsfolk as ever before.

So if you've got a story, why not get in touch with your local reporter on our contact page here :)

Or leave a comment below, or send me an

e-mail.

View all Gareth's Editor's Blogs here