When outsourcing gets ridiculous. Time for more phone calls and emails everybody. Let the City of Pasadena, California know that they’ve taken outsourcing way too far. To outsource a reporting job for the city because the labor is cheaper? How foolish can you get?

By JUSTIN PRITCHARD, Associated Press Writer

PASADENA, Calif. - The job posting was a head’scratcher: “We seek a newspaper journalist based in India to report on the city government and political scene of Pasadena, California, USA.”

A reporter half a world away covering local street-light contracts and sewer repairs? A reporter who has never gotten closer to Pasadena than the telecast of the Rose Bowl parade?

Outsourcing first claimed manufacturing jobs, then hit services such as technical support, airline reservations and tax preparation. Now comes the next frontier: local journalism.

James Macpherson, editor and publisher of the two-year-old Web site pasadenanow.com, acknowledged it sounds strange to have journalists in India cover news in this wealthy city just outside Los Angeles.

But he said it can be done from afar now that weekly Pasadena City Council meetings can be watched over the Internet. And he said the idea makes business sense because of India’s lower labor costs.

“I think it could be a significant way to increase the quality of journalism on the local level without the expense that is a major problem for local publications,” said the 51-year-old Pasadena native. “Whether you’re at a desk in Pasadena or a desk in Mumbai, you’re still just a phone call or e-mail away from the interview.”

The first articles, some of which will carry bylines, are slated to appear Friday.

The plan has its doubters.

“Nobody in their right mind would trust the reporting of people who not only don’t know the institutions but aren’t even there to witness the events and nuances,” said Bryce Nelson, a University of Southern California journalism professor and Pasadena resident. “This is a truly sad picture of what American journalism could become.”

Be sure to contact pasadenanow.com and let them know how you feel.

There is no email address or any way to email them at all, for that matter. But you can make a phone call to: James MacPherson, Editor and Publisher. Phone (626) 403-6698

Read more at YAHOO! NEWS