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Topic: Papers Begin Editorial Outsourcing
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| Bleak Spouse | Posted – 8/12/2007 3:09:47 AM | show profile NZ Papers Begin Editorial Outsourcing By RAY LILLEY, Associated Press Writer WELLINGTON, New Zealand - Newspaper publisher APN News & Media began outsourcing editorial production work Sunday, a strategy being watched by media outlets in other countries, a senior executive said. An outside contractor now will do the editing and layout work for The New Zealand Herald _ the nation's biggest daily _ along with several regional papers and weeklies, said APN deputy chief executive Rick Neville. Starting Sunday, 20 full-time sub-editors at contractor Pagemasters New Zealand will be "operating on an extension of APN's 'Cyber' computer editorial production system" at a site 20 minutes from the paper's editorial offices, Neville said. By the end of 2007, Pagemasters will have about 45 editing staff at their site to edit the seven newspapers _ nearly 30 fewer than the newspapers employed for the job. "I'm confident readers won't notice the difference," said Neville, who has led the project. The Engineering, Printing and Manufacturing Union, whose members include New Zealand journalists, said the move will erode the quality of news coverage because stories will be handled by editors unfamiliar with local issues. Editing staff layoffs were completed at the Herald on Friday, with regional staff cuts coming by the end of the year, Neville said. Neville said the outsourcing program's benefits include lower personnel costs, more efficiency and "doing a lot more" with costly "knowledge technology." APN is half-owned by Irish businessman Tony O'Reilly's Dublin-based Independent News & Media PLC, which publishes 175 newspapers and magazines worldwide. It also runs radio stations and outdoor advertising sites in Australia and New Zealand. Pagemasters is a subsidiary of the Australian Associated Press news agency. Newspapers owned by O'Reilly in Ireland also recently announced an editorial outsourcing strategy. |
| tj2240 | Posted – 8/13/2007 9:48:14 AM | show profile Surprised this hasn't generated more of a response From the article, it appears that reporting work isn't being outsourced, so that at least some degree of institutional knowledge and reporting experience can still be preserved. Still, this strikes me as something that could have a major impact on newsrooms here in the U.S., if it catches on in Australia & New Zealand as promised. Along with experiments by companies like Bloomberg, which already has implemented automated stories for some breaking financial news updates, technology is changing newsrooms in ways I would never have expected. Your thoughts? |
| writesonwater | Posted – 8/13/2007 11:02:39 AM | show profile With all the layoffs at the local big daily, reporting work is defnitely being outsourced. Not the fun stuff -- the little inside pieces, and it doesn't pay well at all. The problem comes when the stuff is so cut and dried that it's deemed too boring (or beneath them) to freelancers. At which point it gets foisted back on staffers, who aren't well-utilized. It's like putting sous chefs to work washing dishes, in some ways. |
| dribbledrive1 | Posted – 8/13/2007 12:51:16 PM | show profile Probably because this site is mostly visited by freelancers and magazine writers. In general, I don't see a lot of newspaper reporters here. --Surprised this hasn't generated more of a response-- |
| reporterwriter | Posted – 8/13/2007 3:17:33 PM | show profile Outsourcing of production has gone on in U.S. magazines for a lot longer than outsourcing of editing. It's not new in the United States, so it's not news here. A statement in the story that I don't understand: "stories will be handled by editors unfamiliar with local issues." Is communication such in New Zealand that an office 20 minutes away is considered to be far, far away? Also, please don't lift AP stories and paste them on BBSes. They are copyrighted. |
| reporterwriter | Posted – 8/13/2007 3:17:45 PM | show profile Outsourcing of production has gone on in U.S. magazines for a lot longer than outsourcing of editing. It's not new in the United States, so it's not news here. A statement in the story that I don't understand: "stories will be handled by editors unfamiliar with local issues." Is communication such in New Zealand that an office 20 minutes away is considered to be far, far away? Also, please don't lift AP stories and paste them on BBSes. They are copyrighted. |
| Bleak Spouse | Posted – 8/13/2007 5:13:06 PM | show profile Don't "lift" AP stories? You make it sound like I've gone into a 7-11 and stolen a pack of Bubblicious. And don't post on a thread where an AP story has been "lifted" because it's immoral and supports this criminal activity. |
| mkelly | Posted – 8/13/2007 5:49:28 PM | show profile So why doesn't the reporter's union opposing this use the capital in its bank accounts to incorporate and bid on the editorial work? Then they can do other writing and reporting work as well, and negotiate to recycle their news content into other projects. |
| reporterwriter | Posted – 8/13/2007 7:47:21 PM | show profile >>Don't "lift" AP stories? You make it sound like I've gone into a 7-11 and stolen a pack of Bubblicious. << A jackass comment doesn't deflect from the fact that you and this Web site can be sued for posting copyrighted material without permissing. You really should know better, BS. |
| Bleak Spouse | Posted – 8/13/2007 8:19:01 PM | show profile bbelinda: no, I shouldn't no better because it wasn't common knowledge to me since I see people posting entire articles on this site all the time. so lighten up. |
| mkelly | Posted – 8/14/2007 9:13:54 AM | show profile Um, if AP were so stupid as to waste money suing for copyright infringement here, then this industry would deserve all the layoffs it gets. Please cut this foolish sub-threat to your otherwise passably interesting thread. |
| maphop | Posted – 8/14/2007 12:07:23 PM | show profile Fuel to Fire Actually, guys, Belinda is right...although AP certainly has better things to do, a lifting of the article is, in fact, copyright infringement. That's what web links are for and keeps all of us out of trouble. Frankly, I probably wouldn't be so snappy on the subject if it weren't for the fact that at least five times this year I've had to issue C&D notifications to website who've lifted and reprinted sections and/or entire pieces of mine from national outlets and placed them on their sites. Since I maintain my copyrights and offer only FNAR, it's my job to manage the integrity of the rights and this actually IS an issue for Reuters and AP as well whose writers are either in-house or work-for-hire. Any professional writer wanting to learn more about copyright law and/or their rights and the rights of other writers might want to consider joining the NWU (National Writers Union) or SPJ (the Society of Professional Journalists). |
| Bleak Spouse | Posted – 8/14/2007 1:28:25 PM | show profile well, if AP sues it's simply cause I didn't know. let MB take down this thread if they're concerned. I'll post a link next time instead. |
| notimetolose | Posted – 8/21/2007 10:58:56 AM | show profile While you guys are busy bickering among yourselves, your work is being outsourced. |
| JimmyG | Posted – 8/21/2007 11:43:49 AM | show profile Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't the AP the original newspaper editorial outsourcing, er, source? |
| reporterwriter | Posted – 8/21/2007 12:00:43 PM | show profile Jimmy G -- AP is an association. That's the "Associated" part of the name. Newspapers, Web sites, radio, TV and other news outlets pay a subscription fee and are expected to contribute stories, too. As well, AP maintains bureaus and offices staffed by its own people. Outsourcing is a whole different thing -- it is not an association of companies sharing information. |
| writesonwater | Posted – 8/21/2007 3:10:32 PM | show profile Jimmy's right in a way -- there are all kinds of papers who have laid off international or out of town staffers and replaced that coverage with AP stories. That's outsourcing. |
| candylilacs | Posted – 8/22/2007 3:22:06 AM | show profile There aren't very many daily journalists because they have more things to worry about, like how the heck media is going to survive when their newspapers are committing mass suicide. ------ http://www.mswritesguide.blogspot.com |
| writesonwater | Posted – 8/22/2007 4:38:42 AM | show profile | email poster I'm a prime example (okay well past my prime) of outsourcing -- I do pieces for a big daily that outsources work to me and other freelancers consistently. However, I do a lot of magazine work and books as well. |
