Shock news from the US for journalists the world over. Shocking enough perhaps to make the hacks in the Computing office choke over a pint in their local Soho pub. The Miami Herald, a newspaper with no less than 19 Pulitzer prizes to its name, has considered offshoring journalist jobs to India.

It’s true that India has a lot of skilled journalists that use English in their professional life and I’m sure they are generally cheaper than those employed in Miami, but what’s the deal? The Herald felt that offshore journalists could edit some of the more formulaic pages in the newspaper, such as the classified ads and community news. This would then leave the local stringers to focus on local stories.

In theory it sounds like a good idea. After all, Reuters already use this model for some of their own journalism. Many – admittedly quite formulaic – news stories about corporate results are churned out by their news team in India for consumption the world over. However, could it work for a community newspaper?

After consideration the Herald decided it wouldn’t work, even on a limited basis. It’s obvious why. The more local and community focused those pages are, the more essential it becomes to be closer to the community – otherwise how on earth can the editor understand if information is right or wrong? Offshoring just can’t work in this type of scenario – though there may be some scope for certain types of editing or typesetting within the industry.

Additionally, style is a funny thing and does not travel well. Anyone who has read a business newspaper in India will know this. Contrast the use of English in the Economic Times in India with the Financial Times in the UK. Perhaps it is just my own personal preference (because I am English), but I hate reading news stories that are punctuated with constant acronyms and unexplained jargon. Give me the self-deprecation of Jonathan Guthrie any day please.