The U.K.-based Reuters news agency has announced plans to eliminate 20 editorial positions in the United States and Europe and hire as many as 60 replacements in India in an effort to save money, the Washington Post and international media reported.
Reuters spokesman Steve Naru said the journalists, working out of an office in Bangalore, will be responsible for writing short research alerts based on analyst reports and polling analysts for economic forecasts. Although the information will be posted on the company's news wire, Naru said the journalists would not produce actual news stories.
"We're of the mind that on-the-ground reporting needs to be done by reporters on the ground," Naru told the Washington Post.
Journalism is the latest industry hit by the outsourcing trend. Jobs are increasingly being sent to countries where lower-wage workers are available. Recent advances in communications and technology have made it easier to conduct business across national and regional borders. Naru says the staffing changes will take place over the coming year.
