I can't really answer that, but I'll tell you the responsibility level I gave my now former reporter (the guy who filled in for me when I had cancer surgery).
Technically, when I was away on vacation one month and then having surgery just over a month later, he took over paginating. As far as I was concerned, however, he was running the show. I delegated decision making to him, including assigning our photographer to cover a couple of news stories. The editor of the other paper in our publication group bitched him out for it, but that fire was already put out by the time I returned. Had it not been, I would have ripped the other editor a new asshole gone Mike Gundy on the other editor. I also solicited his feedback on a lot of things.
I mention that to say that if I could have, I would have made the reporter my assistant managing editor.
