One of the recurring questions journalists are asked is: where does news come from? If we bother to answer seriously, then we will inevitably mention that a key provider is the network of news agencies across Britain.
They range from one-man (more rarely, one-woman) operations to multi-person outfits with as many staff as some newspaper newsrooms.
By their nature, the main players - whether they are lone independents or the owners of larger agencies - have always been entrepreneurial spirits.
They have enjoyed being their own bosses, making money by living off their wits. Whether providing text or pictures for news or sport, they have been an immensely valued source for national media, both newspapers and broadcasters, down the years.
But life has become increasingly perilous for news agencies. Freelance rates have declined in real terms, and often in absolute terms. Agencies are going bust. Independents are giving up.
I first noted this trend a couple of years ago when I attended the annual awards ceremony organised by the organisation that represents Britain's agency network, the National Association of Press Agencies (Napa).
Taking for granted the propensity for all journalists to whinge, it was obvious from my informal chats with various journalists in the room that they were suffering badly from the industry's financial crisis.
Last October, one of the biggest and most respected of agencies, Raymonds of Derby went into liquidation. Many independents are simply giving because they cannot afford to continue despite their love of the job.
One who is contemplating "retirement" is a former Daily Mirror staffer who is highly regarded for his reporting skills.
His dedication to journalism is such that, over the last couple of years, he has been willing to accept cheques from News International for sums as low as £30. "After tax," he told me, "it doesn't even pay for the phone calls I make on the average story."
(I am respecting his anonymity because I'm sure he doesn't want to alienate his paymasters, despite their parsimony).
I am also told that the Daily Mail picture desk is paying freelance photographers £150 a day. That's the same rate they were paid 12 years ago.
It's important to see the decline in agency coverage in the context of falling local and regional newspaper staffs.
This point was well made in an excellent piece by Jon Slattery, I love digital media... but where have all the journalists gone?
Though he did not state it, the headline implied that news bloggers have not - not yet anyway - filled the vacuum created by the culling of staff journalists and the squeezing of news agencies. He wrote:
"I love the internet. I love all the new material and sources it produces. I love its democracy. But I do worry about the impact of having far fewer journalists left on the frontline, knocking on doors and gathering news."
That reminds me. What happened to the Press Association's public service reporting initiative?
Evidently, it couldn't attract the necessary funding. Why not? Because PA's board is composed of profit-seeking publishers who, while feigning a commitment public service, see it as a secondary matter (if at all).
Sources: Media Briefing/Jon Slattery
