OUTSOURCING: SAJA debate on editorial outsourcing to India

EDITOR'S NOTE: In addition to Sabrina's report, please see video here and here (shot by Pracheta Sharma)

 

On January 27, 2009, the South Asian Journalists Association, The Southern Asian Institute and The New York Press Club co-hosted a debate on editorial outsourcing to India. "Outsourcing News: Boon or Boondoggle"  brought together panelists who supported and opposed the growing trend of shifting media jobs to India.

James Macpherson, one of the panelists and publisher of PasadenaNow.com, made headlines for his website’s use of India-based journalists. In November, Maureen Dowd profiled him in an article titled, “A Penny for my thoughts?” and in 2007 over 30 major publications covered his decision to begin hiring journalists in India to cover Pasadena city council meetings via webcast. Macpherson was joined by other panelists Robert Berkeley, CEO of Express KCS and Tony Joseph, CEO of Mindworks Global. Express KCS and Mindworks Global provide editorial production services from India to media companies around the world.

On the opposing side, it was panelist Anthony Ramirez, a 19-year New York Times veteran that was most vocal about his enmity to editorial outsourcing, who referred to Macpherson and the other panelists as, “Lucifer and his minions.” Bruce Lambert, 21-year Times veteran and Phil Pilato, editor and news writer for 1010 WINS radio also sat by side in opposition to the idea.

The idea of sending editorial procedures to India is controversial because of the implications it has for job loss and media quality. However it is also a business model that succeeds in many industries, like we are now seeing in the media business. The difference is this trend now affects the same people who provided previous news of outsourcing directly—the people in media.

“On the one hand information wants to be expensive, because it's so valuable,” Ramirez said, quoting the famous comments made by Stewart Brand in 1984, “The right information in the right place just changes your life. On the other hand, information wants to be free, because the cost of getting it out is getting lower and lower all the time. So you have these two fighting against each other,” Ramirez said, completing the quote.

Reuters, one of the largest news wire companies in the world, made getting their news out more cost-effective by opening up a major bureau in Bangalore, India in 2004. They hired over 100 Indian journalists to cover US financial news. Other U.S. based news organizations have sent particular business functions to India. According to the BBC, the Columbus Dispatch outsourced 90 jobs in advertising design to Affinity Express in Pune, India and the Dallas Morning News outsourced their IT computer support to India. According to Express KCS, one of the companies represented on the panel, the San Jose Mercury News has outsourced its ad production to them.

So how do transnational offices stay connected? Berkeley, the CEO of Express KCS, maintains quality and constant communication between his Indian and British offices by installing communication software on all computers. Property Finder Publishing, one of his clients, is a publication out of London whose layout and production is completed in India.

Berkeley says his Indian employees are, “More aware of the value of a property in Mayfair London than many people who live in London. If they see a property in Hampstead North London that’s going for less than £350,000 they know there’s probably a problem and what do they do? They press a button and Alastair Moxey the editor appears in a Skype window.” They’re virtually in the same room Berkeley said.

The event ended amicably, with panelists shaking hands and agreeing that the issue of editorial outsourcing to India is ripe for more debate.

For video coverage of the event see here and here. Video coverage courtesy Pracheta Sharma of the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism.