But right now, sports, features and business produce their own sections. There is a ''news desk'' that handles all national, international and city copy. Copy from the city desk varies greatly by writer and originating editor. The copy desk has time for only one read per story. One slot, one A designer, one Local designer, and the rest pure editors.
Designers try to pitch in with a bit of editing.
But most came to edit copy and remain there until they move to other papers. Assigning desk has far more power. Local stories usually can be trimmed only with a city editor's permission. Ledes are sacred, and major changes are run by the city desk. A few writers will berate the copy desk for comma changes, and this is allowed I suppose as professional dialogue.