U.S. newspapers plan to outsource editorial operations

[Newsjock]

Source: Newspapers & Technology

Three years after North American newspapers began outsourcing ad production, publishers are considering contracting out their editorial operations.

At least two editorial contracting firms are beginning to aggressively woo publishers to use their services and one, Pagemasters North America, in mid-November was tapped by The Toronto Star to handle a portion of the daily's editorial operations. The Star will be the first North American paper to use an outside firm to perform editorial work.

... To date, only one U.S. paper, The Miami Herald, has outsourced some of its copy-editing, and that is only for its international edition. The Orange County (Calif.) Register also evaluated how it might outsource some of its editorial work.

... James Moroney III, publisher of The Dallas Morning News, told an audience at this fall's Southern Publishers Newspaper Association conference that if he had his way, "everything would be outsourced, except for original content."

William Dean Singleton, CEO of MediaNews Group, caused a firestorm when he said he was considering whether to use an overseas firm to handle MNG's editorial work during a speech he made at the 2008 SNPA meeting.

... The Commercial Appeal in Memphis, Tenn., has been outsourcing its ad production to Express KCS for two years, said Chris Ford, assistant creative services manager.

"It's worked out well for us," he said. The E.W. Scripps paper is sending about 25 percent of its production to India for processing.

Read more: http://www.newsandtech.com/news/article_0dcb7296-dd01-11de-b8e7-001cc4c03286.html

[Mari333]

1. well, there you are.

more outsourcing.

god, this country is in the toilet, isnt it.

[tekisui]

2. That's horrible.

We needs more independent thinkers, not less. Consolidating ideas is a tragedy. I guess it is easier to keep a handful of writers in line.

[Skittles]

3. fucking DISGUSTING

:puke:

[KittyWampus]

4. another nail in the coffin of printed papers.

[Rabrrrrrr]

5. Isn't that wonderful! Now even our news will be foreign.

Can't wait for the local evening news on TV to hear about Sanjay Gupta's family reunion in Bangledesh or dart throwing competition finals at the Munchenhauspub.

Fucking hell.

What I think could actually save papers is for them to focus far more seriously on local stuff - anyone can get world news on the Internet and TV far faster than any newspaper can report on it. But for truly local news and events and focus on people in one's community, a newspaper is ideal.

That's my thinking, anyway - that the papers should get away from "news of the world" as such, and give "news of this community".

That's all I read in my local paper - by the time I get it, I scan the headlines and say "read that on DU already, saw that on TV last night, got an email about that..." - I go straight to the letters to the editor and editorials to find out what people are thinking, and then to the comics to read the two that don't utterly fucking suck, and then to the local stuff.

[gratuitous]

6. I thought this was already happening

After all, the Washington Post turned over some of the most valuable newspaper property to Sarah Palin for her to gas on about global climate change in a fact-free and unchallenged environment.

I wonder if now, with the prospect of their own cushy sinecures under attack, newspaper columnists will be able to direct their attention to this problem?

[Octafish]

7. Hold on. It's not like corporations run things...

...just America.

There's a reason why the Founders named only one business in the Constitution -- a free press. Spelled out in the First Amendment, the idea is that the citizens need a free exchange of information and ideas in order to elect the best representatives, etc. It's a good bet that putting the press under even more control of money-minded morons will not serve the People.

Ben Bagdikian warned us.

[Laelth]

8. This is a terrible development. n/t

:dem:

-Laelth

[avaistheone1]

9. Fucking unbelievable.

Look at how glib these CEOs are about sending jobs offshore when people are suffering here in the U.S.

[azul]

10. Wouldn't be surprised to see the retired generals make a comeback here,

now that the never-ending war business is revving up. With maybe CIA and Israeli censors over their shoulders, what?

[jpljr77]

11. Reuters has been doing this for two years, fwiw.

Different situation, of course, as they are a news/wire service focused on finance and business. But they have a fairly large stable of writers in India stringing stories for them currently, mostly short pieces on earnings releases and other single-source stuff.