I had this message about an old log file that no longer existed. Running 'gconftool-2 --recursive-unset /apps/gnome-system-log' fixed the issue.
gnome-system-log - Version 2.32.0 on Natty -- You received this bug notification because you are a member of Ubuntu Bugs, which is subscribed to Ubuntu. https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/318689 Title: gnome-system-log attempts to open bogus/inexistent logfiles -- ubuntu-bugs mailing list ubuntu-bugs@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-bugs