Comments on: Boston Papers Feel the Pain; OC Reg Looks Offshore

By: paulgillin

paulgillin — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 03:30:00 +0000

Outsourcing isn’t an all-or-nothing proposition and that the Register will figure out what makes sense to outsource and what doesn’t. Copy editors certainly provide value beyond fixing grammar and punctuation, but if it’s possible to skive off the routine work and focus a smaller US-based staff on the areas where they can add value, employers will do that.

By: mike

mike — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 02:12:39 +0000

The outsourcing of copy editing to India is a horrible idea for newspapers. Your post shows a lack of understanding regarding what copy editors do. They also pick up on errors of fact, such as street names being wrong, that cannot be “caught” by people doing the job remotely.

Also, good copy editors have knowledge of local politics that is integral to a good newspaper. Not to mention that they know Pearl Harbor was bombed in 1941, not 1951, which is something some 50-cents-a-day “editor” in India might not know.

By: paulgillin

paulgillin — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 03:26:23 +0000

As a Boston-area resident, I agree. The paper has been struggling for years, and when the Globe catches a cold, you can assume that the Herald will come down with pneumonia.

By: Newspaper Fan

Newspaper Fan — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 19:27:19 +0000

I’d be surprised if the Boston Herald is still printing in 2010.