One year later, the circulation has soared because the paper now makes sense. The operations center, about 15 by 20 feet, contains a table and chairs, a telephone, seven whiteboards, and one local-news editor. Notice that the room does not contain a terminal. The day begins with the news editor, his deputy, and the photo chief brainstorming with all the local reporters as a group about that day's news agenda. Everybody talks, suggesting angles and sources and visual possibilities.
Nobody gives orders.
For the rest of the day, the news editor and his deputy take turns staffing the room. Reporters call in when they need help or want to adjust their story assignments. Every writer checks in to the Ops Center between the end of reporting and the beginning of typing, and debriefs with the sitting editor on the structure, content, length, and angle of the story. Every reporter leaves the room knowing what he or she wants to say. The walls contain seven whiteboards, two for scribbling and layout dummies, and one for each of the upcoming five days of the week.