Mastheads™
Studio
All ten editorial desks
Desk II of X

Source Desk

The Source Desk finds the strongest evidence for a researched article and reads every chosen page in full.

  • Every researched article
  • 6 roles
  • Live
Where it sits
  1. IEditorial Director
  2. IISource Desk
  3. IIIPlanning Desk
  4. IVWriters Desk
  5. VFact Desk
  6. VIQA Desk
  7. VIIEditor-in-Chief
  8. VIIIStandards Desk
  9. IXArt Desk
  10. XProduction Desk

The Source Desk works beside the Editorial Director. The Director shapes the assignment, the Source Desk finds the pages, and the Planning Desk turns their work into a plan.

What it does

The Source Desk is the second of the ten editorial desks at Mastheads, and it finds the pages that can support a researched article. It searches in your words, opens the results and reads every selected page in full.

This gives the desks that follow evidence with substance, authority and range. Without it, an article could rest on unusable pages, repeated copies of one report or evidence that does not fit the planned sections. The Source Desk does not write the article. It hands the desks that follow the strongest evidence for it.

Who works here

6 roles, one desk.

  • Searcher

    I

    Starts with your words and reads the newest pages first.

  • Reader

    II

    Opens each page and brings back its full text.

  • Doorman

    III

    Turns away only pages that are clearly unusable.

  • Clerk

    IV

    Notes the figures, quotes and useful writing on each page.

  • Matcher

    V

    Measures how closely each page fits your request.

  • Judge

    VI

    Picks the strongest sources for this kind of article.

What it takes in

The Source Desk takes in your exact words, the questions in the assignment and your settings. The Searcher starts with your words and reads the newest pages first. The Reader opens each page and brings back its full text. The Doorman removes only pages that are clearly unusable, such as a blocked site, a page without meaningful writing or a page in a language the edition cannot use. The Clerk records the figures, quoted speech and useful writing on each page. The Matcher measures how closely each page fits the request. The Judge then chooses the strongest sources for the kind of article being written, with the date and the needs of every planned section in view.

What it hands on

The Source Desk hands the Planning Desk a focused source list. Every chosen page has been read in full, and the list records its publisher, its date and whether it retells another page's reporting. Your preferences travel with each search: a blocked site is never read or cited, links supplied through a Dossier or From a URL are always read, and preferred sources move up the list. For a head-to-head comparison, the desk searches each side separately, so both sides arrive with sources. Copies of the same wire report are marked and counted as one source.

What it guarantees

5 things it holds to, on every article it touches.

  • Your words lead.

    The first search uses exactly what you typed.

  • One report counts once.

    Copies of the same wire report are marked and counted as one source, which keeps the sources genuinely independent.

  • Every page is passed on in full.

    Later desks read the page itself, with no summary or paraphrase in its place.

  • News stays fresh and local.

    Recent, independently supported reporting from the reader's place comes first. If the first days offer too little, the search goes further back in the same place, never further away.

  • Facts reach the right authority.

    A company's announcement can establish its own deal, while independent reporting can provide context. Sources arrive ranked, ready for the desks that assign each fact.

One example

An article about a local event begins with one outlet's page. The Source Desk keeps it, then finds independent reports and the documents behind the event. Sites carrying the same report word for word count as one source, not several. The finished article draws on genuinely different accounts.

On your article

The selected pages support the finished article, and a blocked site is never cited. The record gives the publisher and date of each page and marks any page that retells another report.

Live. It works on every researched article, which is the default.

Questions

What people ask about the Source Desk.

What is the Source Desk?
The Source Desk is the second of the ten editorial desks at Mastheads. It finds the pages that can support a researched article by searching in your words, opening the results and reading every selected page in full.
How does the Source Desk find real sources?
The first Mastheads search uses exactly the words you typed. The Source Desk reads the newest pages first, opens each result and keeps the strongest pages for the date and the planned sections.
Does Mastheads search with my own wording?
Yes. The Mastheads Source Desk takes in your exact words, the questions in the assignment and your settings, and its first search uses exactly what you typed.
What does source verification remove?
For source verification, the Doorman at the Mastheads Source Desk removes only clearly unusable pages, such as a blocked site, a page without meaningful writing or a page in a language the edition cannot use. Pages that pass go on to be matched and judged.
What does each role at the Source Desk do?
The Mastheads Source Desk has a Searcher, Reader, Doorman, Clerk, Matcher and Judge. They search in your words, open each page for its full text, remove unusable pages, record figures and quotes, measure fit to the request and choose the strongest sources.
What appears in the source list?
The Mastheads Source Desk's source list contains selected pages that have each been read in full. Each page carries its publisher, its date and a mark showing whether it retells another page's reporting.
How are primary sources and independent reporting used?
In Mastheads, a company's announcement can establish its own deal, and independent reporting can provide context. The Source Desk passes on a ranked list of sources, so the desks that assign each fact know which authority to use for it.
Does an article count copied wire reports as separate sources?
No. The Mastheads Source Desk marks copies of the same wire report and counts them as one source, so the article draws on genuinely different accounts.
Can I block a site or prefer certain sources in Mastheads?
Yes. Your preferences travel with each Mastheads search. A blocked site is never read or cited, preferred sources move up the list, and links you supply through a Dossier or From a URL are always read.
How does Mastheads find sources for a head-to-head comparison?
For a head-to-head comparison, the Mastheads Source Desk searches each side separately. Both sides of the comparison arrive with sources, each found by its own search.
Does Mastheads read the full page or a summary of it?
The Mastheads Source Desk reads every chosen page in full. Later desks read the page itself, with no summary or paraphrase in its place.
How does the Source Desk handle recent local news?
For recent local news, the Mastheads Source Desk puts recent, independently supported reporting from the reader's location first. If the first days offer too little, the search goes further back in the same location, never further away.
Which articles does the Source Desk work on?
The Mastheads Source Desk works on every researched article Mastheads writes. It finds and reads the pages that support the article, and it does not write the article itself.
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