Jan 13, 2009 6:52 pm US/Central
Sun-Times May Outsource Jobs To Canada Or India
Paper May Cut Key Editorial Jobs And Hire Cheaper Labor
CHICAGO (CBS) ―
It's no secret that the Chicago Sun-Times is struggling. First they scaled back in size, now there's word they may be outsourcing editorial jobs to India. CBS 2's Kristyn Hartman explains why that is causing concern.
The presses continue to roll, but money problems could mean more layoffs at the Chicago Sun-Times.
Sources tell CBS 2 the paper is taking steps to cut its unionized copy and layout editors.
They include people who handle things like headlines, who check articles for accuracy, and who make the pages the way you see them.
So who would pick up the slack?
The same sources say the Sun-Times might send the work to a firm in Canada or India.
Reader Darius Walls doesn't like the idea at all.
"If you're passing something off to someone else in another country, it's going to be a gap in communication," Walls said.
Suzanne McBride, Associate Chair of the Journalism Department at Columbia College believes it's a legitimate fear.
"Anytime when you have people who are not from an area doing work about that area, and don't have the benefit of living, being in that area day in and day out, you're not going to catch as many of the errors," McBride said.
There's also the matter of local flavor - say your copy says something like "Da Bears," and one of the out-of-town editors sees that, and corrects it to "The Bears." You've just erased or lost your personality.
Then there's the general concern about job loss.
Student Quinn Milton is the Copy Chief for Columbia's paper, and she wants to get a job in the business.
"It will just make things harder - harder than they already are," Quinn said.
Because she's very aware if the Sun-Times decide to outsource, other papers could too in these cost cutting times.
Sun-Times management is not commenting on anything it might be discussing with its unions. A spokesperson for the media group says no decisions have been made.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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