Mastheads™
Studio
All ten editorial desks
Desk IV of X

Writers Desk

The Writers Desk writes from the evidence, in your publication's voice.

  • Every researched article
  • One role
  • 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 Writers Desk receives the plan from the Planning Desk. It sends the article to the Fact, QA, Editor-in-Chief and Standards desks, while the Art Desk begins the picture on articles with images turned on.

What it does

The Writers Desk turns a settled plan and the research record into one coherent article. Before writing begins, the sources have been read, disagreements resolved and sections planned. The Writer keeps the reader, promise, angle and whole article in view from opening to close.

The Writer's job is to write supported facts in the voice your choices set without losing the plan behind them. Without a view of the whole article, openings, attributions and sections could repeat, the voice could turn formulaic, or claims could drift beyond the research.

One role works here: the Writer, which writes the whole article from the plan and the research record. A Revise Editor is built and switched off in production.

What it takes in

The Writer receives the planned sections, the facts each may use, the claims they may not make and the full research record. Your choices travel with that material: tone, reading level, brand, format, section direction and where citations should appear. The Writer drafts the article as a whole, so it can choose the opening, close, tone and shape for the individual article. That avoids repeated openings, duplicated attributions and sections that echo one another, and it keeps the publication from sounding formulaic.

What it hands on

The Writers Desk hands on the complete article and standfirst, with links placed on the claims they support. It names the person or organisation behind each claim, and only fetched pages can appear as source links. Figures keep their unit, currency and period. A figure that does not trace to the record, or a quotation that does not match its published page, is marked for review. A section set to carry no links carries none, and if a section set to always cite has no citation, the desk brings it to your attention. A short note flags anything else that needs a person's attention before publication.

What it guarantees

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

  • Every line comes from the research record.

    The Writer writes from recorded facts, not from memory or unexamined source pages.

  • Sources are credited at the claim.

    The person or organisation behind a claim is named, and the claim links to its page.

  • Only fetched pages become source links.

    A published article can use a page as a source link only if that page was fetched.

  • Figures keep their full meaning.

    Each figure keeps its unit, currency and period and is checked against the record. A figure that does not trace is marked for review.

  • Quotations preserve published words.

    A quotation that does not match the published page is marked for review.

  • The article reads as reporting.

    Thin evidence produces a focused section and no padding. Working notes and reference labels stay out of the copy.

  • Your citation choices hold.

    A section set to carry no links carries none. If a section set to always cite has no citation, the desk brings it to your attention.

One example

Say a section must explain what a new rule costs, but the research holds only the rule and its start date. The Writer explains those supported facts and moves on, with no invented price and no empty disclaimer. If an unsupported figure enters the draft, it is identified before publication.

On your article

The finished draft carries source links on the claims they support and credits the person or organisation behind each claim. Working notes and reference labels stay out of the copy, and anything that needs a person's attention appears in a short note before publication.

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

Questions

What people ask about the Writers Desk.

What is the Mastheads Writers Desk?
The Mastheads Writers Desk is the fourth of the ten editorial desks, the one that turns a settled plan and the research record into one coherent article. It writes in your publication's voice and keeps every claim tied to the research. It writes every researched article Mastheads produces.
How does Mastheads write an article from research?
The Mastheads Writers Desk receives the planned sections, the facts each section may use, the claims it may not make and the full research record, then drafts the article as a whole. Your choices for tone, reading level, brand, format and section direction travel with that material. The Writer chooses the opening, close, tone and shape for the individual article.
How are inline citations placed in a Mastheads article?
The Mastheads Writers Desk places each link on the claim it supports, so an inline citation sits where the claim is made. Your section choices still apply: a section set to carry no links has none, and a missing citation in a section set to always cite is brought to your attention.
How does the Mastheads Writer cite its sources?
The Writer in the Mastheads Writers Desk names the person or organisation behind each claim and links the claim to its page. Only pages that were fetched can appear as source links in a published article.
Can Mastheads link to a page it did not fetch?
No. In Mastheads, only a page that was fetched can appear as a source link, and the Writers Desk writes from recorded facts in the research record, not from memory or unexamined source pages. A quotation that does not match its published page is marked for review.
How does Mastheads keep my publication's voice in an AI-written article?
The Mastheads Writers Desk receives your choices for tone, reading level, brand, format and section direction along with the plan and the research. The Writer then chooses the opening, close, tone and shape for the individual article.
How does Mastheads avoid repetitive, formulaic AI writing?
The Mastheads Writers Desk drafts the article as a whole to avoid repeated openings, duplicated attributions and sections that echo one another. The opening, close, tone and shape are chosen for each individual article, so the publication does not sound formulaic.
What does Mastheads do when the research is too thin for a section?
When the research is thin, the Mastheads Writers Desk writes a focused section instead of padding it. It uses recorded facts and does not invent missing details: if the research holds only a new rule and its start date, the Writer explains those and invents no price.
How does Mastheads handle figures and numbers in an article?
In a Mastheads article, each figure keeps its unit, currency and period, and the Writers Desk checks it against the research record. A figure that does not trace to the record is marked for review.
What does the Mastheads Writers Desk mark for review?
The Mastheads Writers Desk marks a figure that does not trace to the record and a quotation that does not match the published page. It also sends a short note about anything else that needs a person's attention before publication.
Can I choose which sections of a Mastheads article carry citations?
Yes. Mastheads lets you say which sections of an article carry an inline citation and which do not, and the Writers Desk keeps to that choice. A section set to carry no links carries none, and the desk brings a missing citation in a section set to always cite to your attention.
Which articles does the Mastheads Writers Desk write?
The Mastheads Writers Desk writes every researched article Mastheads produces. It takes the plan from the Planning Desk, and the finished article then goes to the Fact, QA, Editor-in-Chief and Standards desks.
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