Five years ago, the American Journalism Review
closed every one of their foreign bureaus over 
the previous 12 years. A year later, the Columbia 
Journalism Review cited a rash of credential 
inflation for newspaper overseas “bureaus” that
 housed just one journalist. Last year, McClatchy 

The practical impact of those closures? Listen to 
Ben Rhodes, the deputy national security adviser 
for strategic communications, who is profiled in 
All these newspapers used to have foreign

bureaus. Now they don’t. They call us to

explain to them what’s happening in Moscow

and Cairo. Most of the outlets are reporting

on world events from Washington. The

average reporter we talk to is 27 years old,

and their only reporting experience consists

of being around political campaigns. That’s a
\
sea change. They literally know nothing.
Recent weeks have brought better news on this 
front, as the New York Times has announced a 
the Tribune Co. announced plans to expand the
 Los Angeles Times’ coverage via bureaus in 
Hong Kong, Seoul, Rio de Janiero, Mumbai, 
Lagos, Moscow and Mexico City.
Don't be a fool for the media: