“The Limits of the Parachute”

News managers agree that “overseas reporting remains a vital function of the Fourth Estate.” But they also say “financial restrictions are more severe than ever.” In this AJR story titled “The Limits of the Parachute,” Sherry Ricchiardi talks to all the networks (and a number of newspapers) about their foreign footprints.

ABC News senior VP Paul Slavin says his network is spending more overseas than ever, but: “we have been big believers in trying to keep our brick-and-mortar facilities to a minimum… The next terrorist attack may be in Kinshasa [Congo]. I don’t have a correspondent there, and I don’t believe there is a news organization anywhere in the world that can legitimately have hard resources everywhere. It’s a matter of picking and choosing.”