Journalists get outsourced too

Journalists love stories about the latest jobs to get sent offshore. Sharp political debates are launched, fears ignited, and community discussion engaged. However today the story is also about journalists themselves. As described in a recent article in the International Herald Tribune, journalist jobs are increasingly being sent offshore. In the first instance, “back office” roles such as graphic design, photo editing, proofreading, ad production, and layout are now commonly going outside newspapers’ walls, sometimes locally, and often to India or other low-cost centers. However now, journalist positions too are going overseas. Reuters’ Bangalore office now employs some 1,600 people, including 100 journalists covering US stories. The UK’s Daily Express has outsourced its city business section, in the end going to a local association, though it also considered Indian options. Other newspapers are experimenting with using offshore reporters in a variety of guises.

The outsourcing of journalism is of course hardly new, with stringers and freelance contributors providing content since the birth of print media. Only a handful of publications globally have the scale to employ journalists in all major countries and across all news segments. One of the key differences today lies in the intensified cost pressures on media, driven by the loss of classified and advertising revenue. Already an increasing proportion of newspaper content comes from newswires and other external sources. Connectivity makes it easier to distribute processes such as photo editing, sub-editing, and layout across locations and timezones. The latest shift is to having local stories written by people in distant locations. Hard business stories can often be written by non-locals. Communications costs for doing interviews are negligible, while labor costs can be slashed. All of these trends are mirrored across other industries, where lower level functions are getting outsourced, and those remaining must demonstrate that they create unique value. A newspaper will always need editorial staff, and regular writers who can attract recognition and an audience from readers. Many other functions currently done in the newsroom will find homes outside the organization. Some will go too far, and jeopardize their editorial quality (beyond that from the steady reduction in headcount over the last years). Yet, like it or not, the process of gathering, analyzing, commenting, and editing news will increasingly be distributed beyond the traditional media organization.