LA Observed notes a disturbing effect of the penny-pinching afflicting the local paper of record: the use of writers from out-of-town newspapers affiliated with Tribune Inc. in the pages of the LA Times. Not only is it occurring in the sports section (in spite of the two local NHL teams, Kings and Ducks away games will not be covered by a beat reporter this season), but it has also occurred with some annoying frequency elsewhere. I suppose it's one thing to farm out writing on NASCAR to writers from areas where the sport is something more than an annual event, but the Times has used Chicago Tribune film critics to review several recent releases, including Gridiron Gang, starring the Rock, the inner-city hoops drama Crossover, and Charles Sturridge's Lassie; I guess it would have been next to impossible to find anyone locally with any interest in movies. It will probably be a matter of time until its national political reporting consists largely of wire service copy.