Maureen Dowd strikes fear into the hearts of writers:

Indians are writing about everything from the Pasadena Christmas tree-lighting ceremony to kitchen remodeling to city debates about eliminating plastic shopping bags.

"In brutal terms," said Macpherson, whose father was a typesetter, printer and photographer, "it's going to get to the point where saving the industry may require some people losing their jobs. The newspaper industry is coming to a General Motors moment -- except there's no one to bail them out." He said it would be "irresponsible" for newspapers not to explore offshoring options.

He fired his seven Pasadena staffers -- including five reporters -- who were making $600 to $800 a week, and now he and his wife direct six employees all over India on how to write news and features, using telephones, e-mail, press releases, Web harvesting and live video streaming from a cellphone at City Hall.

"I pay per piece, just the way it was in the garment business," he says. "A thousand words pays $7.50