A little look at "how the sausage is made" in TV news. Ever see those reports where they don't mention any town near you or have any local flavor? It looks a little canned yet it is news? Well it is, and it might be.
Read on:

Grade The News from Stanford University

"For decades, television stations have quietly outsourced portions of their local news program. But in the last five years, scores of broadcasters around the country have discovered a resource that helps them serve up pre-packaged stories, leaving viewers with the mistaken impression that journalists in their communities did much of the research, writing and on-camera interviewing."