Editor Mode

Editor Mode integrates News Desk directly into the native WordPress Block Editor (Gutenberg). It enables writers and editors to compose and format content using standard WordPress blocks while keeping essential editorial metadata—such as status, assignee, deadline, and priority—accessible in an adjacent sidebar.

Editor Mode does not replace the WordPress Block Editor. All standard block editing capabilities, core plugins, and third-party block libraries remain fully available.

Entering Editor Mode

To open an article in Editor Mode:

1. Open the Newsroom in List or Board view.
2. Click the article title to open the Story Drawer.
3. Click the Open editor button at the top of the drawer.

News Desk opens the native WordPress editor while loading the Veridis Editorial sidebar plugin and keeps a return path back to the Newsroom.

Eligibility requirements

Before entering Editor Mode, a story must meet one basic workflow requirement:

Unassigned ideas cannot enter Editor Mode

If a story is currently an Idea and has no assigned staff member, assign a team member before opening Editor Mode. Once assigned (or once moved to Writing), the story is eligible for editing.

The Veridis Editorial sidebar

Inside Editor Mode, the Veridis Editorial sidebar panel is pinned in the upper right interface (accessible via the Veridis icon in the editor toolbar).

The sidebar provides direct controls for:

• Editorial Status: Switch between Writing, Review, and Ready to publish.
• Assignee: Reassign the story to another editor or reporter as work advances.
• Deadline: View or adjust the target date and time.
• Priority: Update priority between Low, Normal, High, and Urgent.
• Save Editorial Details: Save editorial changes independently of post content drafts.

Writing and formatting content

You compose, format, and layout article content using the WordPress editor exactly as you normally would:

• Add paragraphs, headings, blockquotes, lists, images, and embeds.
• Assign WordPress categories and tags in the Document settings panel.
• Upload and select a Featured Image.
• Write a custom post excerpt.

News Desk tracks your excerpt, featured image, photo credit, and sources through Article Health.

Returning to the Newsroom

When you finish editing or reviewing an article, click the Back to Newsroom button located in the top navigation bar of Editor Mode.

News Desk returns you to the Newsroom context you came from, including the current view and supported filters. It also re-opens the Story Drawer for the article you just edited so you can continue review actions.

Unsaved changes

To help avoid losing unsaved work, News Desk checks for changes to both your article body and editorial metadata before you leave Editor Mode:

If you click Back to Newsroom while unsaved modifications exist, a confirmation dialog appears with three choices:

1. Stay in editor: Closes the dialog and keeps you in Editor Mode so you can continue working.
2. Leave without saving: Discards recent unsaved changes and returns to the Newsroom.
3. Save and leave: Saves your changes and returns to the Newsroom.

Refreshing the page

Refreshing the page keeps you in Editor Mode, reloading the editor with the Veridis Editorial sidebar intact.

Publishing stories

News Desk works within normal WordPress publishing permissions:

• Ready to publish is an editorial milestone: Setting an article’s editorial status to Ready to publish marks it as having reached the final editorial stage. It does not publish the article to the live site.
• Native WordPress Publish: The actual act of publishing is performed by clicking the standard blue Publish (or Schedule) button in WordPress.
• Permission enforcement: Only users who normally have permission to publish posts in WordPress (such as Editors and Administrators) can make an article public. Users without publishing permissions cannot publish through News Desk.