Outsourcing has probably been one of the worst developments over the last 20 years. Whatever happened to keeping the jobs here in the U.S. instead of shipping them off to India or China? Now, it appears that even journalists are not immune to the outsourcing fad. As I read Dowd's op-ed about a Pasadena newspaper-owner who outsources his writers from India, my jaw dropped. What have we come to?! We can't even have Americans writing about local American current events and traditions? C'mon!
I'm all for the cultural exchange of ideas and beliefs, but this is just too much. This completely compromises journalistic integrity. I don't really want to read articles about games at the Rose Bowl written by Mrs. Sreejayanthi of Bangalore, when she didn't even know it was a sports stadium. Outsourcing has already negatively impacted our economy in various aspects, shall we add journalism to the list? (Perhaps Perot had a few good points in his anti-NAFTA rhetoric).
The rapid path to globalization has gotten out of control. We can't just outsource everything possibly imaginable. Especially in times of economic trouble, it may be appealing to outsource whatever work possible. But in the long run, it will negatively affect our economy. It's like a domino effect: more unemployed means less consumer spending, and it just keeps going. Let's get a grip, and at least make sure our journalists know about basic American traditions. The last thing we need is a Ramadan observer writing about the holiness of Christmas or Chanukah.
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That article was interesting and I am glad you posted about it. Outsourcing jobs has clearly impacted our economy but I hope the more business regulation we will see in this next administration will help remedy this outsourcing issue.
In addition, I feel newspapers in this country have a duty to reflect the views and opinions of their local citizens. I am very interested in the opinion of the international community and try to keep updated with several foreign news sources, however I doubt any Americans are on payroll for Le Monde or La Repubblica.
As a journalist, I have to point out the irony here:
It may seem outrageous to have foreign reporters covering America from thousands of miles away, but it's not that far from what Western journalists have been doing for over a century now.
Just a hundred years ago, roles were reversed as journalists from Britain, who were largely unaware of Indian culture or customs, covered that subcontinent with an awkward penchant for happening into significant stories.
Why would we think these journalists were any better informed than those outsources Indians who cover the Rose Bowl today?
Because they were physically there? Well, in this internet age, I can find out a lot more about the Rose Bowl by researching it on the web than I can if I go stand outside the stadium and interview fans.
Maybe those nineteenth century British journalists in India, the ones who laid the foundations of ethical journalism that we practice today, were actually less informed, less fair and balanced, and less culturally sensitive than these outsourced reporters with datelines half a world away.
Yes, I understand that one hundred years ago, journalists covered cultures they were unfamiliar with and could not travel to. A simple curiosity for the unknown would explain that. But we no longer have to worry about these curiosities, as you mentioned, due to the vast amount of technology, such as the Internet and easier travel to unknown places. But it is a matter of journalistic integrity. People go to newspapers expecting that the column or article they are reading will be written by someone with an expertise in that area. I don't believe these outsourced journalists have this expertise readers are seeking.
Very interesting article. At a time when campaign finance reform has restricted the ability for candidates and challengers to speak, the media has been empowered. It is now more important than ever for the media to be unbiased - unfortunately this is not the case!
this is very interesting. I didn't realize that our news was being outsourced as well...just another problem to add to our country's list of issues to deal with...
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