Skip to guide content
WNY Athletics News Desk Handbook
Open News Desk
Browse all guides
Help center home

Start here

Start with News Desk 7 min Access and staff roles 8 min Read your statement 6 min

Writing and publishing

Write and edit a post 12 min Format stories with Markdown 8 min Use the media library 7 min Review, schedule, and publish 12 min Plan coverage with the calendar 10 min Social, broadcasts, and podcasts 10 min

Scores and data feeds

Connect High School Sports 11 min Run the scoreboard and score feeds 13 min Publish standings 9 min Run the AI recap pipeline 12 min Review photo submissions 6 min

Administration

Manage staff, personas, and tags 11 min Customize post types 10 min Set up advertisers and campaigns 9 min Manage payroll and statements 12 min Settings and troubleshooting 14 min

No guide titles match that search.

Help center Start here
Start here 8 min read

Access and staff roles

Give every writer, producer, editor, and manager enough access to do the job without opening the whole control room.

Login comes from
The main WNY Athletics account
Desk role lives in
Settings → Staff
Normal offboarding
Deactivate, then review assignments

The two parts of access

A person first needs a WNY Athletics login. News Desk then matches that exact username to a Staff row. The login proves who the person is; the Staff row decides what newsroom work they may do.

Site administrators are treated as News Desk admins even when they do not have a Staff row. Use that broad access only for people who actually manage the whole website.

Choose the right role

  • Contributor — creates and edits their own drafts, submits them, sees their calendar and statement, and stops editing after submission.
  • Staff Author — creates manual posts, edits their own work through draft and submitted stages, and can respond to requested changes. They cannot publish.
  • Editor — sees all posts, works the review queue, publishes and unpublishes, manages contests, score feeds, standings, scoreboard sports, and the AI recap pipeline.
  • Admin — has every editor ability plus staff, personas, tags, post types, desk settings, and credential management.
  • Payroll manager — is an extra checkbox for an editor. It opens payroll without granting the rest of the admin settings.

Add or change a staff member

  1. Confirm the person can sign in

    Have the staff member sign in once and send you the exact username shown in their account.

  2. Open Settings → Staff

    Only a News Desk admin can open this tab.

  3. Enter the username and display name

    Use the account username exactly. The display name may be a familiar byline or on-air name.

  4. Choose the smallest useful role

    Start contributors and staff writers below editor. Add Payroll manager only to the person who records and reconciles payments.

  5. Save and ask them to reload

    Role changes take effect immediately. A reload shows the correct menu.

News Desk Settings Staff tab with an add staff form and current staff table
The Staff tab maps an existing website username to a newsroom role. Select the image to enlarge it.

  1. Settings tabs keep people, integrations, content types, and preferences in one admin area.

  2. Add the exact login username and a friendly display name.

  3. Choose the newsroom role; payroll is a separate editor-level flag.

  4. Edit or deactivate existing staff from the roster below.

Remove access safely

  1. Deactivate the Staff row

    Deactivation ends News Desk access immediately and keeps the historical name on assignments and records.

  2. Review open assignments

    Move unfinished work to another staff member before the next deadline.

  3. Review scheduled posts and payments

    Confirm scheduled coverage still has an editor owner and that any earned payables remain attached to the correct username.

  4. Remove the main login when appropriate

    Website-account removal is separate from News Desk. Coordinate it with the site administrator after the desk work is reassigned.

Frequently asked questions

Write and edit a post Create your first story or production item. Read your statement Check payables, payments, and your running balance. Manage staff, personas, and tags Set up bylines, desk voices, and coverage labels.
Can a staff author publish their own story?

No. Staff authors submit work; an editor or admin publishes it.

Can an editor manage payroll?

Only when an admin checks Payroll manager on that editor’s Staff row.

Why does a valid login still show Staff access required?

The account is valid, but its exact username is missing from the active News Desk Staff roster.

Does deactivation erase the person’s bylines?

No. It removes current access while preserving existing posts, assignments, and financial history.