For decades, America has been battling the outsourcing of manufacturing and services to countries like Mexico, China, Philippines, and India.
The United States has lost so many jobs to other countries for a variety of reasons, including labor costs, environmental restrictions, and tax incentives.
Most people would be surprised to hear that some newspapers have fallen into that bear trap.
There is a corporate-owned newspaper in Southeast Minnesota (not the Fillmore County Journal) that outsources their advertising design to a company based in India. So, a local customer cannot directly speak with the designer about placing an advertisement in the local newspaper. The ad content is sent via e-mail overseas to a company in India. That company designs the ad and sends it back to the newspaper, and that’s how the process works.
At some point, that newspaper decided to sell their soul to the Devil in order to save money by getting rid of local people.
I’ve seen it happen throughout the newspaper industry. The Star-Tribune and Des Moines Register have both gone down that path, outsourcing their advertising design to India. Another family-owned newspaper west of Fillmore County has succumbed to the pressure, and they are outsourcing their advertising design to India, as well.
This is a travesty. Along with losing jobs in America to another country, what about the personal connection that local people have with the customers they serve?
I firmly believe that when we hire local people to serve our local customers, we will serve them in the best way possible. That’s good business sense.
Every week, I receive e-mails and phone calls from companies based out of India who are offering graphic design and web design services — saying “We can save you money!” They want our newspaper to outsource our graphic and web design services. There are even foreign-based companies offering services for writing articles and editorial proofing. Are you kidding me?
That won’t happen here. Not with our newspaper.
We are blessed with an incredible team that lives among the people they serve.
Members of our team live in Canton, Cresco, Decorah, Fountain, Harmony, Houston, Lanesboro, Mabel, Preston, Rushford, Spring Grove, Spring Valley, and Wykoff.
We are made in the Midwest.
One Moment, Please… Made in the Midwest
Jordan says
But that’s not all the facts about that corporate-owned paper in Southeast Minnesota or any newspaper that uses that design service. Customers have, in fact, complete control over what their ad looks like and proof it before it goes to press, plus we offer hundreds of designs. Customers can make changes, request special designs and know what it looks like beforehand because they can speak directly with the local ad rep. who lives and works in the county. Plus, it allows for better advertising rates. The newspapers’ employees are also local to the county.