A legal blogger on The Times, BabyBarista, has quit the paper’s website saying that the move to a paywall will be a disaster for News International and says The Guardian’s recently launched legal section could steal the Thunderer’s traffic.

In a blog post BabyBarista, who writes a “fictional chronicle of the experiences of a junior barrister’s attempts to establish a career at a London chambers”, accuses News International of “Canute-like” behaviour unable to cope with the diversification of the web brought about by social media.

“When I resigned I deliberately didn’t want to mix up my own view on The Times’ action with a genuine sense of gratitude for their having hosted the blog for three years. However, that point now having been made I’d add that I think the decision will prove to be a disaster. There are so many innovative ways of making cash online and the decision to plump for an across-the-board blanket subscription over the whole of their content makes them look like a big lumbering giant, unable to cope with the diversification of the media brought about by online content, blogging, Facebook, Twitter – the list is endless. Canute-like in their determination to stop the tide of free content and using a top down strategy which makes even the Post Office look dynamic.

“Speaking of which, perhaps an even bigger casualty of The Times’ decision than the newspaper as a whole may well be the Law Section which until recently has been in my view the number one place for legal news in the country. However, The Guardian has recently launched a Law Section which very clearly lays siege to that position. With The Times disappearing from public view and the inevitable reduction in traffic which will follow it leaves an obvious gap in the market and makes The Guardian’s timing seem particularly opportune. I’d be fascinated to hear other people’s views and to continue this debate in the comments section below.”

His point about social media and The Times being unable to stop the tide is spot on. I labelled its move anti-social media and can’t help, but think it will be a flop.

While this is the first blogger to quit it is the second one that I have heard from who has reservations about the move behind a paywall.

Blogs behind paywalls makes no sense whether you are  a lawyer or otherwise.

Baby Barista had until last year been an anonymous blog before former barrister Tim Kevan was revealed as its writer ahead of the publication of a novel last summer based on the blog – ‘BabyBarista and The Art of War’.

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