The box contained seven headers and crammed a lot of information into a small space. In Business, one subject explored an economic-development update involving comparisons of office occupancy in the city of Des Moines with growth in the suburbs. This 'Gage Box' helped readers of The Des Moines Register understand the issues behind bringing Israeli troops home from Lebanon. Initially, Gage was the only one doing the boxes, but he kept encouraging others to use them. Now, the boxes have become a daily part of the Register's inside pages and elsewhere in the newspaper.
Editors troll the wires, the Internet and our archives to find the information needed for the boxes.
The approach can be played with 5 to 12 inches of copy, depending on the story's complexity and the use of photos or graphics. Gage Boxes are a good way to say a lot in a little space.