Outsource Bulgaria

Outsourcing certain IT functions is one thing, outsourcing local journalism seems quite another. This ad has been generating a media storm:

We seek a newspaper journalist based in India to report on the city government and political scene of Pasadena, California, USA.

Here’s the gist of the story from Yahoo News:

Outsourcing first claimed manufacturing jobs, then hit services such as technical support, airline reservations and tax preparation. Now comes the next frontier: local journalism.

James Macpherson, editor and publisher of the two-year-old Web site pasadenanow.com, acknowledged it sounds strange to have journalists in India cover news in this wealthy city just outside Los Angeles.

Admittedly, this story sounds like it’s Dilbert on outsourcing. I heard the interview he did for BBC and frankly he made his point clear: he feels someone in India will do a better job at watching the local counsel meetings (they’re streamed online) and then summarizing them.

The journalist at BBC who was doing the interview didn’t feel too comfortable with the concept though … I bet he was seeing headlines: BBC outsources news gathering to India!

On his Dilbert blog, Scott Adams has a solution that will greatly improve the USA government’s decision-making process while making it cheaper. (Dilbert cartoon on outsourcing here.)

The solution? Outsource the government to India!

Here’s how the idea was born:

It’s common knowledge that all major government decisions in the United States are made via a process that Thomas Jefferson described in the constitution as “lobbyists bribing weasels.” Voters attempt to solve this problem by electing the weasels who do the best job lying about their intentions to change the system. So far, this hasn’t worked.

That’s why we need to outsource the important decisions to India. I’m sure a consulting firm in India could help the United States come up with a coherent energy policy, a plan for universal health care, a cure for global warming, and an anti-terrorism plan.

In addition to his musings, Scott has a special Q&A session that is a must-read.

Who said outsourcing can’t be fun? Have you read some of those amazing labels that come on kids toys that are “Made in China”?

Here’s some words of wisdom from Dilbert:

Thank God, Scott Adams has a sense of humor sometimes. Listen to this interview:

Q. What’s your opinion on Indians stealing American jobs?

A. Outsourcing is good for the Indians and bad for the Americans who lost their jobs. But it’s good for the Americans who get to buy cheaper products or invest in the company stock that had lower costs.

Ditto.