What exactly does desk work entail?

I think we all have those nightmares.

 

The obvious thing not mentioned yet is that it depends on how big a paper you work for.

At smaller places, many people both edit and write, and/or writers slide in and out of desk shifts to fill holes.

The L.A. Times has/had a lot of writers who also work the desk now and then, but a lot of dedicated copy editors.

I'd think most copy editors at a place like the NY Times or Washington Post stick to that. I know that's the case at the Miami Herald, or was. And other places I've worked had swing people years ago, but fewer now. Now, the crossover is more likely to be design/copy than copy/writing.

As far as the rest of it goes, set hours: Sure. Not taking your job home: I'm with Frank, doesn't work that way if you're any good.

 

Yet deskers can also get free pizza on Election Night. Hooray!!!!

 

Here's another one:

Deal with whiny, bitchy reporters who have serious SERIOUS issues. Makes me want to take my head, find a brick wall, and begin the smashing process.

Unfuckingbelievable.

 

Then I must not be very good. When that night's shift is over and the presses run, I forget about it until it hits my stoop the next morning. Period. It's over. On to the next one.

This is the list of tasks I assembled from one of my previous stops. Enjoy.

Select, size, crop and process photos
Write cutlines, headlines and local briefs (includes prep game calls)
Format and edit agate
Format and edit wire copy
Edit local copy
Assemble, format and edit wire briefs
Type in TV and radio schedules
Lay out and design pages while proofing other sports copy ed's pages
Format (sometimes type in) and edit information for info boxes

At end of night send pages to PDF archive
At end of night send stories to Web queue and change Web priority as needed

 

Good one, Serve, I forgot:

I also have to update all the stories to the Web (obits included) after deadline then wait for the first edition off the press and proof the paper and make any changes or add local copy for the second run.

The shift is usually 2 p.m. to 1:30 a.m.

 

Isn't it true that being a designer/planner is a much different job from simply working the rim, or even slot?

In my earlier post contrasting writing to desk work, in which I said on the desk you could leave the job at the office and not worry about tomorrow, I was referring more to a pure copy-editing position, not a designing/planning job.

I'm guessing there probably aren't many of those copy-editing-only jobs left, except at the big papers.

It's possible I have no idea what I'm talking about, since I haven't been in an office past 5 pm in about 11 years (Something that amazes even me, as I hadn't thought about it that way till just now.)

 

Do most, or all, sports deskers format agate? How long does it take to pick up that type of skill?

Edit: Assuming you've worked as a news desker for a year or more.

 

<img src="http://images.jupiterimages.com/common/detail/37/64/22136437.jpg">

 

At our paper, in sports, we have one plain copy editor, four editor/designers, and five part-timers, three of which are trained to do agate.

Course, we're also a U-desk, so we get some news deskers to help on any given night.

 

Pretty much.

 

That doesn't sound like too bad of a set-up.
At my last shop they had a guy who worked news desk and did sports on the weekend, and two interns that did agate. Then on the news side they had three rimmers and two slot editors, including the sports guy.
It seemed to be a struggle to meet deadline every day, unless there was a part-timer helping us finish. Not sure how it is now seeing as they don't appear to be in a rush to fill my previous spot. I think the head news editor has left, too. I haven't seen either position advertised yet.