From the front page splash to the bumper bargains section, from the back page sporting lead to The Bairn cartoon, the Herald doesn't come together by accident.
A tight-knit team of reporters, subs, photographers, inputers, printers, and advertisi
ng, production, accounts and office staff work together to ensure Scotland's best-selling weekly newspaper hits the streets every week without fail.
The work that goes into The Falkirk Herald actually begins on Thursday, when the last edition has just come out.
THURSDAY: Reporters begin to look out for possible follow-ups to stories from the previous edition (and sometimes deal with complaints).
It's a quieter time for news but Herald staff use the lull to prepare features and set up interviews for the coming edition.
FRIDAY: Reporters start writing up story ideas for the coming week's schedule. The chief reporter takes these ideas on board, discusses them with the editor and then allocates stories to reporters and photo calls to photographers.
At this point in the Herald's working week everyone has some idea of what they are expected to do – but news is never predictable and stories can come in at any time.
SATURDAY/SUNDAY: Much-needed time off for everyone except the sports editor, who documents the ups and downs of Falkirk FC, while his team of correspondents cover the other sporting fixtures. Some others do work the weekends, covering events such as gala days, but a reporter should never be off duty and even the visit to a pub on a Saturday night could produce a good story.
MONDAY: The pace starts to pick up as reporters start to hammer out their stories and the editor and his assistants begin working on the early pages of the Herald.
TUESDAY: Reporters start to concentrate on their most important stories, making sure they have put in calls or met up with all the people they need to for quotes.
Photographers start to process their pictures and dish them out for the corresponding stories.
The chief reporter, assistant editor and the editor meet to get an updated picture on how the paper is shaping up – deciding what the front page splash might be and what stories have priority for this week.
WEDNESDAY: Everything seems to speed up on deadline day as reporters frantically transcribe shorthand scribbles into articles of some description. The editor, assistant editor and subs do their best to cut down the reporters' ramblings so they can fit snugly on the page and often work well into the night on deadline day – especially if there is some late breaking front page news.
THURSDAY: The paper is printed and it all begins again.
