In general, the reporters don't think much of the desk, either ignoring us completely or considering us meddlers. A handful, however, actually appreciate what we do and have even thanked us for fixing mistakes. Good, for the most part. New designers are learning to communicate better their space problems and are trying to work with metro in addressing issues before they become problems. There are still the age-old incorrect story lengths, missing photos and such, but it seems to be getting better.
People seem to be making more of an effort to communicate.
About half of the News Desk people do layout as well, either regularly, or as subs. Also, the layout people are expected to finish their jobs as quickly as possible, then help on rim. Rimmers and layout people are consistently called upon to help slot stories, since slot is usually pretty backed up by the end of the night. Most people who have left our desk go to other papers, usually larger ones. Some have become reporters and some have moved to management positions.