Is print news coverage of the Mideast being concentrated into the hands of fewer papers? It sure seems that way. Last week, the Boston Globe announced it was closing all its foreign bureaus, including its office in Israel. Now, the Jerusalem Post reports that the Philadelphia Inquirer made a similar decision, and the Baltimore Sun is expected to do the same. Newsday already joined the trend.
All are cutting costs and shoring up local coverage. But what will the effects be? American Journalism Review‘s Sherry Ricchiardi raised one red flag:
Many news organizations rushed reporters from far-flung locales to the Middle East when fighting erupted between Israel and Hezbollah. But there’s no substitute for coverage by correspondents based in a region and knowledgeable about its history and culture.
And Inquirer columnist Trudy Rubin commented:
The new mantra in the media industry is that mid-size papers must go local, local, local to grow circulation. Readers who want more foreign news can go to the Web. As The Inquirer’s publisher, Brian Tierney, told Washington Post media critic Howard Kurtz: “I can get what’s going on in Iraq online. What I can’t get is what’s happening in this region.”…
Those that comment on foreign affairs also depend on mainstream media for their information. With more newspapers closing foreign bureaus, will we soon depend on a shrinking pool of foreign correspondents to inform the whole country? Or will most Americans come to view the world through the prism of partisan bloggers who don’t feel the need for facts?….
As this coverage shrinks, Americans’ ability to assess government actions abroad will also shrink.
Will the foreign bureaus be missed? Post your comments below.
UPDATE Jan. 29: See also Washington Post columnist Fred Hiatt’s take on vanishing foreign correspondents.
UPDATE Jan. 29: Soccer Dad dissents.
