The run sheet
How a night moves from afternoon close to morning handover — times, desks, and sign-off points.
The run sheet is the internal rhythm made public. Times are target windows, not guarantees; a verified correction may delay the late file without breaking the sequence below.
Evening sequence
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13:00
Desk open · wire check
Editors arrive, read the afternoon wire, and mark items for beat assignment. Essential cookies and portal systems are already running; no analytics load until readers consent.
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14:30
Document pull · beats 01–03
Municipal, transport, and school documents are pulled from official portals and logged with reference numbers on the internal clipboard sheet.
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16:00
First proof pass
Section editors read assigned copy against source documents. Photographs from the Photo Desk are matched to captions and time stamps.
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18:30
First file publish
Verified items enter the public index. The Run Sheet page itself is not updated mid-sequence unless a process change requires notice.
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20:00
Late pull · beats 04–06
Hawker, environment, and community documents received after the first close are assigned and checked.
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21:45
Second proof pass
Late items read by a second editor. Corrections attach to the fix-notice slot before publication.
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23:00
Final file publish
Summary paragraphs and context notes publish. Handover note drafted for the morning desk.
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23:30
Desk close
Monitors dimmed, clipboard filed, chair cleared. Portal remains readable; editors off duty until 13:00 next day.
File formats on the run
First file — short items with dateline, beat label, and source list. Late update — replacements only; no duplicate headlines. Final file — synthesis paragraphs when multiple beats touched the same planning area. Context note — three paragraphs maximum when a single line would mislead.
Each format appears in the back-issue room with the same metadata whether it ran on a weekday or Saturday. Sunday is not a publishing day; the desk is closed.
Readers comparing this page to the Night Shift roster will see the same times from a staffing angle rather than a publishing angle.
During heavy municipal weeks — budget consultations, estate-wide notices — the first proof pass may start earlier without advancing publish time. Only verified copy enters the first file; moving the clock does not move unattributed paragraphs.
Handover notes reference this sequence so morning archive staff know which holds carried past 23:30. Public readers see the handover line at the foot of each page, not the internal clipboard.
Morning handover
After 23:30 the portal stays online but editors depart. Morning archive staff receive internal handover notes listing holds, expected documents, and fix notices awaiting clerk confirmation. Public readers see only the italic handover line on each page — not the internal clipboard.
Saturday runs follow the same sequence with reduced call volume; Sunday remains dark with no publishing and no telephone coverage.
Exception logging
When LTA issues a late road closure after the first file, transport beat may publish a late update without waiting for the 23:00 final synthesis — urgency is judged against safety notices, not against schedule convenience.
Every exception is initialled on the internal run sheet scan stored with that night's proofs. Exceptions do not become routine; repeated exceptions trigger a process review noted on this page.
Coordination with Photo Desk
Photo assignments attach to beat rows on the clipboard before 16:00 when possible. Late assignments after 20:00 require section editor approval and may defer frame publication to the late update rather than the first file.
Caption confirmation must arrive before the relevant publish window closes — the run sheet treats missing captions as holds, not as reasons to skip second read.
Internal wire items without ladder completion never appear as teaser headlines. Readers only see indexed entries that cleared rung seven.
Reader-visible signals
Handover lines at page foot summarise completion state — not live clock. For live desk hours see Write to the Desk or Reader Mail FAQ.
Clipboard scans from each night are archived with proofs — not published. Researchers asking for scans receive methodology description unless formal legal process applies.
Saturday sequence matches weekday times; only staffing volume differs. Public holidays when desk is dark are listed on Reader Mail when announced.
First file delay beyond 18:30 without fix notice on portal means holds or safety review — not silent skipping of publish window.
Editors reference this public run sheet when training new beat staff — internal variants with initials are not distributed externally.
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