news desk meaning

Your Ultimate Guide to Understanding News Desks

As a professional journalist, I know firsthand the critical role of news desks in shaping the news landscape in the U.S. News desks serve as the central hub where journalists and editors collaborate and communicate to ensure news accuracy and timeliness.

In this section, we will delve into the basics of news desks and their fundamental role in the fast-paced media industry. From news desk organization and management to newspaper desks , journalists’ workspaces, and editorial desks’ oversight, we will explore every aspect of news desk operations and their impact on news delivery in the U.S.

Key Takeaways:

The benefits of effective news desk organization and management, understanding newspaper desks and journalists’ workspaces, the role of the editorial desk in newsroom operations, what is the role of a news desk, why is news desk organization and management important, what are newspaper desks and journalists’ workspaces, what is the role of the editorial desk in newsroom operations, related posts:.

• News desks play a pivotal role in shaping the news we consume in the U.S.
• Journalists and editors collaborate and communicate through news desks to ensure news accuracy and timeliness.
• Efficient news desk organization and management are crucial for smooth news operations.
• Physical workspaces of journalists, commonly known as newspaper desks or journalists’ desks, contribute to productivity.
• The editorial desk plays a crucial role in ensuring the quality and accuracy of news content.

The Importance of News Desk Organization and Management

As a journalist, I know firsthand the significance of a well-organized and efficiently managed news desk. News desk organization and management are essential for ensuring that news is delivered accurately and on time.

One of the key elements of news desk organization is workflow processes. A well-designed workflow ensures that journalists know what they need to do and when they need to do it. This makes it easier for them to focus on their work and produce high-quality content.

Management also plays a crucial role in ensuring smooth news desk operations. Good management involves providing clear direction to journalists, giving them the support they need to do their jobs effectively, and ensuring that everyone is working towards the same goals.

By having an efficient news desk workflow and management process, journalists can work together harmoniously and minimize mistakes and errors. This workflow also ensures that news is published on time and to a high standard.

• Improved productivity and efficiency
• Higher-quality news content
• More accurate reporting
• Improved time management
• Better collaboration between journalists and editors

It is worth noting that news desk organization and management are not just essential for the newsroom’s day-to-day operations but also for news outlets’ long-term success. By having well-organized and efficient news desks, news outlets can stay competitive and continue to deliver high-quality news to their readers.

Overall, news desk organization and management are critical components of the fast-paced media industry in the U.S. By investing time and resources into these areas, news outlets can stay ahead of the game and deliver the news readers need and deserve.

As a journalist, my workspace is my sanctuary. It is where I spend long hours researching, writing, and editing stories to meet tight deadlines. This physical space is commonly referred to as a newspaper or journalist’s desk. However, the desk is not just a place to sit and write; it is an essential component of a journalist’s work environment.

Journalists’ desks are designed with functionality in mind. They typically have a large surface area for spreading out notes, research materials, and their laptop. The desk’s height is adjustable to accommodate their preferred sitting positions, making it comfortable for long hours of work. Additionally, drawers and shelves are available for storage, enabling journalists to keep their workspace tidy and organized.

Many newspapers have adopted an open-plan design for their newsrooms, with journalists’ desks arranged in pods to encourage collaboration and communication between journalists. This design allows journalists to share ideas and bounce thoughts off one another, fostering a creative and collaborative work environment.

Journalism is all about the pursuit of truth, and a well-designed workspace can enhance the process, making it easier for journalists to focus on researching and writing stories that matter. Newspaper desks and journalists’ workspaces are not just physical locations; they are essential tools in a journalist’s toolkit for producing high-quality and informative news content.

As a copywriting journalist, the editorial desk is crucial to my work. It is the central hub of newsroom operations, overseeing everything from fact-checking to story assignments. The editorial desk works closely with journalists to ensure that news stories are accurate, compelling, and meet editorial standards.

At the heart of the editorial desk’s workflow is collaboration. Editors and journalists work together to develop stories that inform and engage the public. The editorial desk also serves as a gatekeeper, ensuring that stories meet specific criteria before they are published. This includes verifying facts, checking sources, and ensuring that the story aligns with the publication’s editorial position.

Effective newsroom organization is essential for the editorial desk to function well. A well-organized newsroom ensures that deadlines are met, stories are properly developed, and the editorial desk is properly staffed. Newsroom organization includes managing workflows, coordinating with other departments, and ensuring that the newsroom has the necessary resources to support the editorial desk’s operations.

Moreover, the editorial desk is responsible for ensuring that the newsroom adheres to ethical standards. This includes ensuring that stories are balanced and free from bias, that sources are properly credited, and that sensitive information is handled responsibly. As a journalist, I rely on the editorial desk to provide guidance on these issues, and to ensure that my work meets the highest standards of journalistic integrity.

In summary, the editorial desk plays a critical role in newsroom operations. It is responsible for overseeing the development of news stories, ensuring their accuracy and editorial quality, and upholding ethical standards. Effective management and organization of the newsroom are essential for the editorial desk to function well, and for journalists to deliver the news that informs and engages the public.

In conclusion, as a professional copywriting journalist, I understand the pivotal role that news desks play in shaping the news we consume. A well-organized news desk with efficient management is essential for delivering accurate and timely news within the fast-paced media industry in the U.S. Understanding the physical workspaces of journalists and the role of the editorial desk in newsroom operations is also crucial to ensuring the quality and accuracy of news content.

By understanding news desks, journalists, and editors can effectively collaborate and work towards delivering the news that readers consume every day. As the media industry continues to evolve, it is essential to have a clear understanding of the fundamental role of news desks and how they contribute to delivering factual and informative news to the public.

The news desk plays a fundamental role in shaping news within the media industry. It is responsible for gathering, verifying, and disseminating news stories to the audience.

News desk organization and management are essential for smooth operations and efficient workflow. It ensures that news stories are handled effectively, deadlines are met, and resources are utilized optimally.

Newspaper desks or journalists’ workspaces are the physical spaces where journalists work. These spaces are designed to facilitate their tasks, such as writing, editing, and researching news stories.

The editorial desk plays a crucial role in newsroom operations. It oversees the quality and accuracy of news content, collaborates with journalists and editors, and ensures that the news stories align with the publication’s editorial standards.

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Definition of news desk noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

• She works on the news desk.
• Contact the paper’s news desk.

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Look up any word in the dictionary offline, anytime, anywhere with the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary app.

Life on the newsdesk: ‘Technology has changed. Expectations haven’t’

Nadia Khomami reflects on how her role at the heart of the paper compares with predecessor Jean Stead’s in the 1960s

The newsdesk is the beating heart of the Guardian. Fast-paced, frenetic, and at any moment seemingly close to a cardiac crisis, it drives the publication of scores of news stories every day.

In my three years as assistant news editor, there has been no shortage of historic moments: Brexit and a general election followed swiftly by a pandemic that changed the world. Even on quiet days, our operation begins at 7am when the first editor in London picks up the baton from our Australia office and refreshes the website with new stories, and ends around 1am when the night editor puts the final print edition to bed.

Over the past two decades, news editing has had to keep up with the evolution of the internet and technology. We’re no longer focused solely on filling the pages of a paper: we commission and publish pieces throughout the day for the site. And if articles weren’t enough, we have liveblogs – including on politics, Covid-19 and any other emerging events – that tick over almost every single minute.

All this was far off when the late Jean Stead first joined the Guardian from the Yorkshire Post in 1963. Without the significant cultural changes she helped implement, the quality of our news output would not be what it is today.

In the early 1960s, the Guardian had a certain reputation for being slow on news. “What the Telegraph reports today, the Guardian comments on tomorrow,” Cecil King, chair of the publishing giant IPC, liked to quip. So when Stead joined a desk that she would ultimately end up running, it became her mission to make the Guardian a worthy Fleet Street competitor. “I was tired of us being sneered at for not being as sharp as other papers,” she recalled in an interview before her death.

During her tenure, Stead and her team produced a stream of exclusives that had real impact. In 1971, the Guardian revealed that private investigators were eliciting information from Whitehall departments, the Criminal Records Office and banks; the then prime minister, Edward Heath, ordered an inquiry and security was tightened. In 1973, an exclusive by reporter Adam Raphael established that leading British companies were often paying their South African workers wages below starvation level. The issue was taken up by a select committee, and eventually rectified.

So how does the magic happen? I’ve learned it comes from a combination of determination and sheer enthusiasm. It’s not a job that allows you to switch off. Stories are doggedly pursued, and all the facts need to be correct or you’re in trouble. As Stead said, “you use your brain all the time”.

She also spoke of the “rhythm of the desk”, including conferences throughout the day with other editors. “You have to go through a news list, there would be 20 items, and you have to say something about each one, you didn’t have time to rehearse,” she recalled. “You had to get everything right because there were lots of experts sitting around a desk.” She said she was so frightened of conference that broadcasting and television were a doddle by comparison.

The timing and attendance list of the conference might have changed, but the expectations have not. Each day, one of us reads out the news list at the midday news meeting. We have to know about every one of the 20 to 40 stories that make up the agenda, from huge stories about the withdrawal of troops in Afghanistan, to smaller, quirky ones about lost whales in the Thames or the mysterious deaths of hen harriers in Sandringham. We sell the stories we think are worthy of the front page, those which may have been overlooked, and those which add some humour or lightness.

That’s one of the things I enjoy most about being on the desk – the collaboration. Whether it’s putting heads together with fellow editors in the morning to decide which are the big stories of the day and how we should be covering them, to working with reporters on long-term projects and sharing in the thrill or misery of significant national developments, I’ve never felt alone. In a high-pressure, hurried environment, silly things can make you laugh. Like when one of our desk administrators, who answer myriad calls through the day, was overheard shouting: “We don’t make appointments with journalists, it’s like going to the library and asking for a bag of chips!”

I remember huddling around our screens at around 8pm, on a cold, dark January, to watch Theresa May suffer the heaviest parliamentary defeat of any British prime minister in the past century when her Brexit deal was shot down by MPs. As she rose to accept the verdict and welcome a vote of no confidence in the government, there were a few shared gasps. Similarly, when the supreme court ruled the government had acted unlawfully by proroguing parliament, or when Chris Whitty gave his first press conference, the tension in the room was palpable.

Then there’s the regular disagreements with reporters annoyed at having their stories changed, held or spiked. Frustration is inevitable. Sometimes, reporters will resort to what we call a “drive-by”, cornering you on the desk when you are least expecting it. “We moved the newsdesk into the newsroom, right at the centre of the operation,” Stead recalled, saying that she sat with her back to the wall, so that “no one could come up behind my shoulders”.

Stead said she found the interest in her being a female editor irritating, because she “couldn’t see what difference it made”. Still, she witnessed what she termed “amusing” prejudices, like when a reporter came back with pictures of John Lennon and Yoko Ono posing in bed and said: “This is the problem with having a woman news editor – I don’t think I should show you these pictures.” Stead once asked Margaret Thatcher about the best way to balance work and home life, to which the former prime minister responded: “Delegate”. The comment struck a chord with Stead, who spoke of her lack of a social life. “You have to stop doing a lot of things. I never went out.” Indeed, every news editor knows the pain of having to cancel plans because “work ran over”.

Today, the women on the desk outnumber the men, and there are times when we have an all-female lineup. We also have a number of editors from ethnic minority backgrounds – an important feature of any newsroom that wants to speak to and for a modern, diverse readership.

And what is that readership interested in? “The Guardian reader would have a lively and curious mind, and probably a good sense of humour too,” Stead said. “You’d like to think if you ever had a totalitarian state by accident, the Guardian would be the first to be banned.”

That much has remained the same.

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Ask The Times

‘What’s the Difference Between a Reporter and a Correspondent?’

By Marc Lacey

• June 14, 2017

Ask The Times, a Times Insider feature, draws on New York Times expertise to answer questions submitted by readers.

A reader asks: “What’s the difference between a reporter and a correspondent?”

Marc Lacey, The Times’s National editor — and a former reporter and correspondent who now oversees correspondents across the United States — considers the question.

At The New York Times, reporters and correspondents both conduct interviews, dig through documents, cover live events and write articles.

The difference? Proximity to the home office.

Correspondents are those who regularly roam — and, nowadays, often settle — far from Times Square. On the national desk, we have correspondents scattered around in places like San Francisco, New Orleans, Miami and Chicago. (In the last few days, our domestic correspondents have filed stories from those cities and many others, including Orlando, Fla. ; Holland, Mich. ; Moraine, Ohio ; and Taunton, Mass .)

Across the newsroom, the international desk has a staff of foreign correspondents stationed all over the world, including places like Nairobi, Beijing and Mexico City. (Today’s international offerings include stories filed from Brussels; Tehran; Hong Kong ; Budapest ; Manila; Trebbio, Italy; and Vardo, Norway , among other places.)

Reporters, on the other hand, tend to work in and around The Times’s headquarters — either reporting from their desks, or returning to the office after a day in the field to type up their notes. In other words, filing a story requires no long-distance correspondence. (The term “correspondent” hints at the days when such stories would be sent via postal mail — and, later, via telegraph and telex.)

“My take is that the jobs are fundamentally the same,” said Mark Landler, a White House correspondent who has worn several hats during his tenure at The Times, from business reporter and European economic correspondent to bureau chief in Hong Kong and Frankfurt. “The nuts and bolts of what we do here in Washington are no different than what I did in New York as a business reporter, 20 years ago. The main difference is: When you’re a correspondent, it implies that you are posted out in the world somewhere.”

“When I was in Hong Kong and Frankfurt, it really felt like I was out roving around the world, writing letters back to newspaper that explained what I was seeing,” he added. “I think that’s the purest definition of what a correspondent does.”

But in this day and age, he acknowledged, the distinction has grown a little blurry.

“The development of the newspaper into more of a digital enterprise is making some of these things seem a little quaint,” Mr. Landler said, noting that traditional datelines — the all-caps place names that precede articles filed from outside New York — are also becoming obsolete. “They just don’t mean as much to a digital reader.”

Part of the confusion also arises from the fact that some national correspondents are stationed here in New York, although their reporting typically doesn’t concern New York. They have frequent flier miles galore and are regularly hopping on planes to cover the latest news event or dig in deep on some issue of national concern.

And, of course, there are historical distinctions to grapple with, too.

“In the old days, correspondents were the ones smoking cigars with the diplomats, while reporters were scrappily digging through the trash, counting the cherry pits,” said David W. Dunlap, a longtime metro reporter. For context, Mr. Dunlap referred to a scene from “Foreign Correspondent,” Alfred Hitchcock’s 1940 spy thriller, in which a newspaper editor assigns a crime reporter to cover the crisis in Europe. “I don’t want correspondence,” the editor says. “I want news !”

But that has long since changed. “In my own time, a foreign correspondent became, in essence, a foreign reporter — though dashing, half-crazed, romantic.”

“ ‘Correspondent’ sounds fancier,” said Nicholas Kulish, who has been a New York-based reporter and a far-flung correspondent over the years.

At dinner parties, Mr. Kulish eschews both terms and introduces himself as a “journalist.”

Have a question for Ask The Times? Submit it using the form below.

Stephen Hiltner contributed reporting.

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newsdesk noun

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What does the noun newsdesk mean?

There is one meaning in OED's entry for the noun newsdesk . See ‘Meaning & use’ for definition, usage, and quotation evidence.

How common is the noun newsdesk ?

Where does the noun newsdesk come from.

Earliest known use

The earliest known use of the noun newsdesk is in the 1940s.

OED's earliest evidence for newsdesk is from 1943, in Public Opinion Quarterly .

newsdesk is formed within English, by compounding.

Etymons: news n. , desk n.

Nearby entries

• news butcher, n. 1873–
• newscast, n. 1934–
• newscast, v. 1928–
• newscaster, n. 1930–
• newscasting, n. 1928–
• New Schellingism, n. 1843–74
• new school, n. 1712–
• news cinema, n. 1932–
• news crawl, n. 1972–
• news cycle, n. 1922–
• newsdesk, n. 1943–
• news-dick, n. a1953–
• new-set, adj. 1608–
• new-set, v. a1556–
• newsfeed, n. 1973–
• newsflash, n. 1904–
• news fly, n. 1935–
• newsful, adj. 1639–
• newsgatherer, n. 1712–
• newsgathering, n. 1815–
• newsgirl, n. 1859–

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Meaning & use

Entry history for newsdesk, n..

Originally published as part of the entry for news, n.

news, n. was revised in September 2003.

oed.com is a living text, updated every three months. Modifications may include:

• further revisions to definitions, pronunciation, etymology, headwords, variant spellings, quotations, and dates;
• new senses, phrases, and quotations.

Earlier versions of this entry were published in:

A Supplement to the OED, Volume II (1976)

• Find out more

OED Second Edition (1989)

• View news, n. (pl.) in OED Second Edition

Please submit your feedback for newsdesk, n.

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Citation details

Factsheet for newsdesk, n., browse entry.

• Media relations

The role of news desks

G ive a reporter a few glasses and you’re bound to hear ‘those idiots [or usually worse] on the desk have screwed up my story’. Very rarely will reporters confess that the desk saved their arse.

The desk in question is newspaper parlance for the news desk – or rather the collection of news editors that head up each news department of a newspaper. Home news (front of the paper) has one, business pages have one and the foreign section has one. They’re the first rung of management in a newspaper office and like most middle managers they are hopelessly squeezed by the reporters and correspondents beneath them and the section heads, deputy editors and editors above them.

It’s a pretty hard life being a news editor, putting together a credible list of 12 to 15 stories a day, that will be picked over and pulled apart like a bag of chips found by a seagull. As one Fleet Street stalwart says: ‘Few people dream of being a news editor, it kind of just happens.’ But news desks wield real power. They get the first say over what goes in the paper. If it’s not on their news list – hopefully early in the morning – it’s just not going to go in.

Increasingly I get breaking news from Twitter. It is a great way to point you to other journalists’ work or to established commentators

Convincing a news editor of the value of a story is one of the first skills a young reporter has to master. Talking a news editor into running a story, being able to tell them succinctly and wittily why a story matters, is half way to writing it. Actually, quite often that conversation turns into the introduction. So understanding how a news desk works, when they make decisions and what they value, is a long way to understanding the pulse of the whole newspaper.

For most news editors, the day starts early – between 6am and 7am and probably with  Radio 4’s   Today programme. For the serious newspapers, it does not quite set the agenda for the day but it has a good attempt and its combative interviewers can sometimes get a story while journalists are eating their toast. Once in the office, news editors will check their own papers’ final editions, take a look at the night log – a detailed report of all the changes and decisions that took place overnight – and then begin reading their rivals.

Papers read or scanned, and the serious business of putting together a list will begin. Usually there will be a skeleton from which to start, which will contain diary items or known events that day, and ideas/ story lines from writers who are based outside the office. All desks will use wire services to help to develop their lists. The front of the paper and the tabloids will use  Press Association (PA) heavily, the City desks will use  Reuters  and foreign desks will use Reuters,  Agence France-Presse  (AFP) and  Associated Press  (AP). For City news editors, RNS or  London Stock Exchange  announcements, are very important.

Social media makes mark

Social media is also helping to shape newspaper content. Ben Griffiths, City news editor at the   Daily Mail , is a late convert to Twitter. He says: ‘Increasingly I get breaking news from Twitter. It is a great way to point you to other journalists’ work or to established commentators. If you are following the right people, it can be a great source of news.’ Jane Hamilton, former assistant news editor and now employment and cashflow editor at  The Sun , says: ‘Twitter and social media is increasingly important because of the speed at which it can show public opinion and because it may reveal celebrities’ real thoughts, not those as presented by a publicist.’ News editors will also have an increasingly long list of websites that they like to check for news lines, including the  BBC  sites and overseas papers, such as the  Wall Street Journal  and  The New York Times.

All the while, they are doing this, they are taking calls from reporters who are phoning in from press conferences or interviews, talking to foreign correspondents and stringers about they day they have just had, or the day ahead of them, and allocating stories to reporters.

There are also calls from the readers. Hamilton says: ‘We get a lot of calls from readers at  The Sun. You have to decide which are worth following up on and for those that are, we will send a reporter out to see the caller. Many calls to the paper are also simply for help and information and we try to assist as best we can because readers have a very strong connection to the brand.’ Putting a good list together is an art. You are looking for a splash, of course, hopefully exclusive. But you also need a good mix of other stories to make the main page leads in the paper: politics, show business, celebrity, human interest, business, health, crime and so on.

Simon English, deputy City editor at the  Evening Standard  and  The Independent ,  says that when he is trying to put a list together he is aiming partly to cover everything that is happening that morning, so the editor can pick out things that appeal to him, and partly to offer something different or funny that will grab people’s attention.

The list will then be presented, usually by the section editor, at morning news conference which usually happens anytime between 10am and noon, depending on the paper. Conference is usually attended by a news editor or section editor, plus the editor and deputies. People from pictures, leaders and obituaries will also be there. At  The Guardian , anyone can attend conference, but most people rarely have the time. The City sections of   The Times ,  The Daily Telegraph  and the  Daily Mail  will hold smaller less formal meetings of reporters and news editors, before the main paper conference, at which ideas are discussed and reporters will pitch their own exclusives.

The PR industry needs to get a grip. It fails to understand how few of us there are and how many of them there are. It is getting worse

Most of the stories mentioned by the news editor in conference will become page leads – the top story on that page. For a story to knock out one of these page leads, it has to be pretty special. Stories that crop up later in the day are given a poorer ‘show’ and tend to fill the down-page slots. As to when decisions are made, English says: ‘It’s a moving brief. Some calls get made very early, others very late. Things that definitely aren’t going on to the front page get placed as soon as possible so that pictures can be selected and graphics done. You’re trying to call the lead as late as you can, while allowing for the fact that deadlines exist and some people might actually want to go home.’

Decisions are made by a combination of the editor, deputy editor, City editor and news editors. ‘It’s consultative rather than dictatorial. You make your case if you have a strong opinion, say ‘I dunno, boss’ if you don’t,’ English says. Other papers have a slightly different culture. At the  Daily Mail  and  The Sun  a lot of decisions are made by the back bench, the most experienced  sometimes as much as 40 years’ experience – production staff. The editor’s decision is always final.

At  The Time s , foreign assistant news editor Suzy Jagger, says: ‘It used to be the case that not a lot happened in the morning meeting. But now some decisions have to be made earlier.’ News International’s printers at Broxbourne in Hertfordshire also print titles for other publishers, so it is imperative that each paper’s pages are ‘off stone’ at the time allocated.

Many of the heavy papers have a second meeting in the afternoon and contenders for page one and for page three will become clear by this meeting. The editor will take a close interest in these stories and also any other stories that could ‘come forward’; they will also want to know what is the foreign lead and the business lead. However, these decisions can continue to change right up to about 8.45pm (at The Times) for the first edition and through the night, if necessary.

Specialists move to front 

Every reporter dreams of writing the ‘splash’ and increasingly the specialists in the business department and foreign departments are writing for the front page, as much as the political journalists or home news journalists.

The financial crisis has made business a story that affects everyone. Who would ever have thought that the interest rate at which banks lend money to each other would become a front page issue? Jagger, who used to work in business and has also worked in Parliament, says: ‘A story stops being a business story when it stops being a problem for the finance minister and spills into general domestic policy.’

Stories about City bonuses, rewards for failure, private contractors messing up, energy bills spiraling or corruption in business are all areas where a business story appeals to a wider audience. ‘A lot of people didn’t understand what LIBOR was, but that story [about Barclays allegedly trying to manipulate the bank rate] still made the front pages because the public realised that something underhand was going on,’ Jagger says.

The Daily Mail’s  Griffiths agrees: ‘If a business story is about a big consumer issue, something to do with a retailer or a bank or a big employer, then it will go forward.’ Usually the business reporter who covers the beat will write the story, other times a political journalist will be asked to help. Some papers have specialist consumer and business reporters. Griffiths denies that putting the story up front means it has to be dumbed down.

A story stops being a business story when it stops being a problem for the finance minister and spills into general domestic policy

The banking crisis showed how big stories – that often run for weeks, if not months – will be divided up and addressed by teams. The banking editor might write the main story, with input from the political editor. The economics or City editor will write an analysis piece alongside. A US correspondent may be asked to feed in and the investigations editor may be used to dig and provide exclusives on that particular story.

When the stories are written, they are filed back to the news desk anytime from 2.30pm to 7.30pm, where the news editors will spend a few minutes checking that the writer has got the right angle and that the story has panned out as expected. Only when they are happy, will they send it through to production to be sub-edited and put on page. This makes the early evening the busiest time for a news desk as copy comes in from all sources. Never call a news desk in the afternoon, unless your story genuinely is a contender for the front page.

And think about why you are calling the desk at all? ‘PRs who phone news desks tend to know very little about how papers work. They ought to know the particular reporter and call them,’ says Jagger. The  Evening Standard’ s English says: ‘The PR industry needs to get a grip. It fails to understand how few of us there are and how many of them there are. It is getting worse.’

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Meaning of "news desk" in the English dictionary

Pronunciation of news desk, grammatical category of news desk, what does news desk mean in english, news bureau, definition of news desk in the english dictionary.

The definition of news desk in the dictionary is the department of a newspaper or a broadcasting organization that is responsible for collecting news and preparing it for publication or broadcast.

WORDS THAT RHYME WITH NEWS DESK

Words that begin like news desk, words that end like news desk, synonyms and antonyms of news desk in the english dictionary of synonyms, words relating to «news desk», translation of «news desk» into 25 languages.

TRANSLATION OF NEWS DESK

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FREQUENCY OF USE OF THE TERM «NEWS DESK» OVER TIME

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Meaning of desk in English

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desk noun [C] ( TABLE )

• Gwen sat at her desk, surrounded by books and papers .
• I busied myself with tidying up my desk.
• The desks in the room were arranged in rows of ten.
• "Where's my pen ? It was on my desk a minute ago." "You left it by the phone ."
• He produced a letter from his desk which he asked me to read .
• bedside table
• breakfast bar
• drafting table
• dressing table
• drop-leaf table
• rolltop desk
• standing desk
• the dinner table
• trestle table
• writing desk

desk noun [C] ( SERVICE AREA )

• bed and board
• bed and breakfast
• bridal suite
• commissionaire
• proprietress
• receptionist
• twin-bedded
• visitors' book

You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:

desk noun [C] ( NEWSPAPER OFFICE )

• ambulance chaser
• breaking news
• bury the lede idiom
• citizen journalism
• correspondent
• hit the headlines idiom
• hot off the press idiom
• investigative journalism
• investigative journalist
• photojournalism
• photojournalist
• the Associated Press
• the Press Association

desk noun [C] ( IN ORCHESTRA )

• anti-elitist
• apparatchik
• counterpart
• entry level
• opposite number
• super-elite
• superiority
• superordinate

desk | Intermediate English

Desk | business english, examples of desk, translations of desk.

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• an article of furniture having a broad, usually level, writing surface, as well as drawers or compartments for papers, writing materials, etc.
• a frame for supporting a book from which the service is read in a church.

city desk; foreign desk.

an information desk; reception desk.

• a stand used to support sheet music; music stand.

a first-desk flutist.

a desk drawer.

desk dictionary.

He used to be a traveling salesman, but now he has a desk job.

• a piece of furniture with a writing surface and usually drawers or other compartments

information desk

• a support, lectern, or book rest for the book from which services are read in a church

the news desk

• a music stand shared by two orchestral players
• these two players

a desk calendar

Discover More

Word history and origins.

Origin of desk 1

Example Sentences

It can be easily rolled under a desk and kept out of the way, and rolled out when needed.

He sat at a desk and listened to his briefers, which included some boldface names from the Obama administration.

In 2011, Slootman was recruited to run ServiceNow, at the time a small software developer focused on the help desk market.

“On the retail front, it’s been very different than the past few years,” says Karen Chang who heads an options trading desk at Bank of America.

Pair these five-inch shorts with the Athena crop top for a set of basics that will take you from home desk to trail to swimming hole and back again without losing a beat.

I was sick in street gutters, onto my desk, at dinners with friends.

But Scott, in taking the parlance of the street to the SportsCenter desk, helped affirm its ascendance.

President Harry Truman kept a sign on his desk that read: “The Buck Stops Here.”

While the desk sergeant ran a background check, he was roughed up by another officer in the lock-up.

She suggested that Gregory stack newspapers on his desk to give the set an intimate, coffeehouse feel.

At his desk sat his secretary, who had been a witness of the interview, lost in wonder almost as great as the Seneschal's own.

Taking his stand at the end of the desk, he made MacRae reiterate in detail the grim happenings of that night.

Dobson, mouth agape, struck a little bell on the desk and the orderly stepped in from the outer room.

When I again turned to Lessard he still stood at the end of the desk, industriously paring his fingernails.

He took his accustomed seat at the desk, and placed a large ledger before him.

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Definition of desk

Examples of desk in a sentence.

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'desk.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Middle English deske, dext "reading desk, lectern," borrowed from Medieval Latin descus, desca, variant of discus "raised table, platform," going back to Latin, "discus, kind of plate, gong," borrowed from Greek dískos "discus," in Late Greek also "dish, round mirror, the sun's disk, gong" — more at discus

Note: The e in the British Medieval Latin forms (and subsequent borrowing into Middle English) appears to show influence of the Romance outcome of discus, for which see the note at dish entry 1 . The sense "reading desk," presumably originating in monastic usage, is not limited to Britain—compare discus in Mittellateinisches Wörterbuch, which records the meaning in central Europe.

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing desk

• desk jockey
• partners desk
• reading desk
• rolltop desk
• writing desk

Articles Related to desk

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Dictionary Entries Near desk

Cite this entry.

“Desk.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary , Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/desk. Accessed 16 May. 2024.

Kids Definition

Kids definition of desk, more from merriam-webster on desk.

Nglish: Translation of desk for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of desk for Arabic Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about desk

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Definition of 'newsdesk'

Newsdesk in american english.

newsdesk in British English

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And the winner of the 2024 Tiny Desk Contest is...

Bobby Carter

The winner of the 2024 Tiny Desk Contest is The Philharmonik! Hailing from Sacramento, Calif., The Philharmonik is a producer, singer, rapper and multi-instrumentalist whose entry video, "What's It All Mean," floored this year's panel of judges.

And yet, crowning the Contest's 10th anniversary winner was no easy decision for our 15 judges; Tiny Desk series host and Contest judge Bobby Carter says this year of the Contest has been the most competitive yet. But the judges took their time reviewing nearly 7,000 entries from independent artists across the country, and are proud to share that The Philharmonik rose to the top.

In the second episode of Tiny Desk Contest Top Shelf , Tiny Desk alum and Contest judge Durand Bernarr featured The Philharmonik's entry, marveling at lead singer Christian Gates' brilliant commitment to the bit: his elaborate set-up, the way he stayed in character, his attitude and charisma.

"Everything in the video (the space, the attire, the characters we played, and the way we performed) was done with intention," Gates shared with us.

And in the YouTube comments on his video, Gates provided some insight into the creation of his video.

"The planning for this was insane," he wrote. "The Sacramento community literally lifted me up to help me see this vision through when I had not a single penny to my name ... There was a magic energy filling the space that I can't explain, but I had a plan ... This is a result of amazing teamwork and minds coming together."

"The desks weren't only in the video to solely fulfill the requirements of the Tiny Desk Contest, but to also amplify the message of 'What's it all mean?' and the existential question life poses to all people," Gates said. "I'm pretty sure most of us have pondered this question at a desk."

While the judges were impressed by The Philharmonik's setup, a visually elaborate video is certainly not a requirement to win the Tiny Desk Contest.

"If Christian and the band sat in front of a black backdrop and played 'What's It All Mean?,' they would still win the Contest," shares Carter. "It's a song and a message we all can connect to — and more importantly, they brought something fresh ."

NPR Music will welcome The Philharmonik — in addition to Gates, that's Moriah Wenzel (background vocals), Alicia Huff (background vocals), Courtney Miller (drums), Samuel Phelps (bass), Darius Upshaw (guitar), Connor Chavez (guitar), Jimmy Toor (flute) and Jeffery Archie (keys) — to the Tiny Desk very soon. (We're glad to see he's already got the "performing in an office space" thing down.) After that, the band will be headlining the Tiny Desk Contest On The Road Tour , playing alongside local Contest entrants in cities across the country.

You can hear more from The Philharmonik this afternoon on All Things Considered .

• The Philharmonik

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A giant cosmic butterfly’s nature is revealed.

Pan-STARRS and SMA image. Radio: SAO/ASIAA/SMA/K. Monsch et al; Optical: Pan-STARRS

Astronomers have found what is likely the largest planet-forming disk ever seen, which appears like a giant, cosmic butterfly in the night sky. This discovery offers new insight into the environments where planets form.

Officially known as IRAS 23077+6707 (IRAS 23077, for short), this giant cosmic butterfly is about 1000 light-years from Earth and was initially discovered in 2016 by Ciprian T. Berghea from the U.S. Naval Observatory using the Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System (Pan-STARRS). However, for years it remained uncharacterized.

Two new papers have now revealed the true nature of IRAS 23077. One paper , led by Berghea and accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal Letters, reports the discovery that IRAS 23077 is a young star located in the middle of what looked like an enormous planet-forming disk. In the second paper , published yesterday in The Astrophysical Journal Letters, researchers confirm the discovery of a large planet-forming disk, using the Submillimeter Array (SMA). 

The SMA is an array of telescopes in Hawaii jointly operated by the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (SAO) at the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian (CfA) and the Academia Sinica Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics (ASIAA) in Taiwan. It detects light at millimeter wavelengths, a type of radio wave.

“After finding out about this possible planet-forming disk from Pan-STARRS data, we were keen to observe it with the SMA, which allowed us to understand its physical nature,” said Kristina Monsch, an SAO astrophysicist and a postdoctoral fellow at the CfA, who led the SMA campaign. “What we found was incredible—evidence that this was the largest planet-forming disk ever discovered. It is extremely rich in dust and gas, which we know are the building blocks of planets.”

Planet-forming disks—called “protoplanetary disks” by astronomers—are planetary nurseries in which rocky planets like Earth and Mars, and giant planets like Jupiter and Saturn form around young stars. They are rich in dust and gas and rotate with a specific signature that astronomers can use to infer their sizes, and the masses of their central stars. 

Some planet-forming disks are ‘edge–on,’ meaning they are oriented such that their own dust and gas–rich disks entirely obscure the light emitted from their parent star, as is the case with IRAS 23077. While their stars may be shrouded, the dust and gas signatures of their surrounding disks can still be bright at millimeter wavelengths, as obtained by the SMA.

“The data from the SMA offer us the smoking–gun evidence that this is a disk, and coupled with the estimate of the system’s distance, that it is rotating around a star likely two to four times more massive than our own sun,” said Monsch. "From the SMA data we can also weigh the dust and gas in this planetary nursery, which we found has enough material to form many giant planets—and out to distances over 300 times further out than the distance between the sun and Jupiter!”

“The discovery of a structure as extended and bright as IRAS 23077 poses some important questions,” said co-author Joshua Bennett Lovell, an SAO astrophysicist and an SMA Fellow at CfA. “Just how many more of these objects have we missed? Further study of IRAS 23077 is warranted to investigate the possible routes to form planets in these extreme young environments, and how these might compare to exoplanet populations observed around distant stars more massive than our sun.”

“In addition to gaining brand new data on IRAS 23077, we must also continue the hunt for other similar objects if we are to unlock the story of how extrasolar planetary systems develop in their earliest years,” said co-author Jeremy Drake, Astrophysics Chief Scientist at Lockheed Martin’s Advanced Technology Center.

IRAS 23077 was initially termed “Dracula’s Chivito” by Ciprian Berghea, who grew up in the Transylvania region in Romania, close to where Vlad Dracula lived. In analogy to the famous object “Gomez’s Hamburger,” which is another enormous planet-forming disk that is seen edge-on, they followed the suggestion of Ana Mosquera, Berghea’s co-author, to name it after her country's national dish the "chivito," a hamburger-like sandwich from Uruguay. 

Besides Kristina Monsch, Joshua Lovell, Jeremy Drake and Ciprian Berghea, the authors of the ApJL paper are Gordian Edenhofer from the Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics, David J. Wilner, Garrett K. Keating, and Sean M. Andrews from CfA, and Ammar Bayyari from the University of Hawaii.

About the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian

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The center of this composite image shows IRAS 23077, likely the largest planet-forming disk ever seen, which looks like a giant cosmic butterfly.

The inset for this image shows compelling evidence that IRAS 23077 contains a planet-forming disk. Along with dust grains, the SMA can also observe the cold carbon monoxide gas that comprises the bulk of a planet-forming disk.

Meet the 2024 Tiny Desk Contest winner

Nearly 7,000 independent artists entered this year's Tiny Desk Contest, NPR Music's annual search for the next great undiscovered artist. Earlier today, Morning Edition revealed the winner : a Sacramento producer, singer, rapper and multi-instrumentalist who performs as The Philharmonik. As he soaks in his big win and prepares to travel to NPR's headquarters in Washington, D.C., to perform a Tiny Desk concert, songwriter Christian Gates joins Juana Summers to share the story behind his winning entry.

One of the requirements when submitting to the Tiny Desk Contest is that each video must feature a desk. (It shows the judges that artists are prepared to play behind the real Tiny Desk; plus, it's fun.) Gates says that desks usually make him feel as if he's deviating from his own path by working for someone else. Eventually, he decided he needed to work at his own desk.

In a YouTube comment on his video, Gates shouts out the Sacramento community, which helped him see this vision through when he said he didn't have a single penny to his name.

Gates expands on this comment in his All Things Considered interview, sharing with Summers that he went through a dark and humbling time last year. While driving for Uber in order to make ends meet, he got into a bad car accident and could no longer work.

"I was really scrounging up money for change, to even do shows," he says. "I had these big visions for shows where I wanted nine people playing with me — but I couldn't afford it. And as the months went by it got progressively worse. And my other bills started to fall behind, too."

Then, when the Tiny Desk Contest opened, he asked his community for a favor.

"I said, hey, I think we could do good in this Contest if we execute this vision — but I really need your guys' help with this," Gates explains. "And everybody, absolutely everybody, came through to help me with no hesitation."

Gates says that since winning the Contest, it feels like his life has changed overnight.

"I'm glad that I went through the struggle, because [now] this win feels so honest to me, to what I believe in. It's a reflection of what I've worked for," he shares. "So I'm eternally grateful for everything that I've gone through, good and bad."

This summer, Gates and his eight-piece band will headline the 10-city Tiny Desk Contest On The Road tour. You can get tickets to see The Philharmonik, plus other local Contest entrants, at npr.org/tinydeskcontest .

Copyright 2024 NPR

Worst corporate jargon of the week: Put a pin in it

Offender: put a pin in it .

Every one of us has been an email chain which is borderline unintelligible for the amount of corporate lingo thrown in there. At City A.M., we’re taking a stand and calling out the worst jargon which travels around the City faster than you can drink an overpriced pint. This week: Put a pin in it

What does it mean?

To come back to something at a later date. Like putting a pin in a pin board. 

What does it really mean?

We will never address this again. Like putting a pin in a balloon. (See also: circle back )

Who uses it?

Manic managers who don’t have time for your petty affairs I’m afraid. There may be a lion on the loose or an approaching apocalypse, but Q3 impressions are down 0.13 per cent – so let’s just stick a pin in that for now and ask the four horsemen if they can put that in an email shall we? Offenders rarely use an actual noticeboard, but if they did you can be sure it’d look something like Charlie’s in It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia (pictured). 

What could it be confused with?

• Actual pins in actual pinboards
• A genuine intention to come back to your problem

Should we be worried?

Undoubtedly. Undoubtedly. Put-a-pin-in-it-ers are at their core reckless avoidants, and it’s time for them to face the consequences of their reckless management of their imaginary noticeboards.

How do we get rid of it?

As always, take them at their word. Every time you are asked to put a pin in it, take said issues, write them down, and dutifully pin them onto your colleague’s desk. Jargon users may be cretins, but they are usually not completely devoid of human emotions like shame. Seeing their palace of pinned promises before them should elicit at least a morsel of regret. If not, if will provide a minor convenience, and we’re not above counting that as a triumph.  

Corporate ick rating: 6/10

Worst corporate jargon of the week: Transform

New catalyst could offer a potential solution for using captured carbon

Posted By: Weinberg College of Arts & Sciences May 14, 2024

A new catalyst made from an inexpensive, abundant metal and common table sugar has the power to destroy carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) gas.

In a new Northwestern University study, the catalyst successfully converted CO 2  into carbon monoxide (CO), an important building block to produce a variety of useful chemicals. When the reaction occurs in the presence of hydrogen, for example, CO 2  and hydrogen transform into synthesis gas (or syngas), a highly valuable precursor to producing fuels that can potentially replace gasoline.

With recent advances in carbon capture technologies, post-combustion carbon capture is becoming a plausible option to help tackle the global climate change crisis. But how to handle the captured carbon remains an open-ended question. The new catalyst potentially could provide one solution for disposing the potent greenhouse gas by converting it into a more valuable product.

The  study will be published  in the May 3 issue of the journal Science.

“Even if we stopped emitting CO 2  now, our atmosphere would still have a surplus of CO 2  as a result of industrial activities from the past centuries,” said Northwestern’s  Milad Khoshooei , who co-led the study. “There is no single solution to this problem. We need to reduce CO 2  emissions  and  find new ways to decrease the CO 2  concentration that is already in the atmosphere. We should take advantage of all possible solutions.”

“We’re not the first research group to convert CO 2  into another product,” said Northwestern’s  Omar K. Farha , the study’s senior author. “However, for the process to be truly practical, it necessitates a catalyst that fulfills several crucial criteria: affordability, stability, ease of production and scalability. Balancing these four elements is key. Fortunately, our material excels in meeting these requirements.”

An expert in carbon capture technologies, Farha is the Charles E. and Emma H. Morrison Professor of Chemistry at Northwestern’s  Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences.  After starting this work as a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Calgary in Canada, Khoshooei now is a postdoctoral fellow in Farha’s laboratory.

Solutions from the pantry 

The secret behind the new catalyst is molybdenum carbide, an extremely hard ceramic material. Unlike many other catalysts that require expensive metals, such as platinum or palladium, molybdenum is an inexpensive, non-precious, Earth-abundant metal.

To transform molybdenum into molybdenum carbide, the scientists needed a source of carbon. They discovered a cheap option in an unexpected place: the pantry. Surprisingly, sugar — the white, granulated kind found in nearly every household — served as an inexpensive, convenient source of carbon atoms.

“Every day that I tried to synthesize these materials, I would bring sugar to the lab from my home,” Khoshooei said. “When compared to other classes of materials commonly used for catalysts, ours is incredibly inexpensive.”

Successfully selective and stable

When testing the catalyst, Farha, Khoshooei and their collaborators were impressed by its success. Operating at ambient pressures and high temperatures (300-600 degrees Celsius), the catalyst converted CO 2  into CO with 100% selectivity.

High selectivity means that the catalyst acted only on the CO 2  without disrupting surrounding materials. In other words, industry could apply the catalyst to large volumes of captured gases and selectively target only the CO 2 . The catalyst also remained stable over time, meaning that it stayed active and did not degrade.

“In chemistry, it’s not uncommon for a catalyst to lose its selectivity after a few hours,” Farha said. “But, after 500 hours in harsh conditions, its selectivity did not change.”

This is particularly remarkable because CO 2  is a stable — and stubborn — molecule.

“Converting CO 2  is not easy,” Khoshooei said. “CO 2  is a chemically stable molecule, and we had to overcome that stability, which takes a lot of energy.”

Tandem approach to carbon clean-up

Developing materials for carbon capture is a major focus of Farha’s laboratory. His group develops metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), a class of highly porous, nano-sized materials that Farha likens to “sophisticated and programmable bath sponges.” Farha explores MOFs for diverse applications, including pulling CO 2  directly from the air.

Now, Farha says MOFs and the new catalyst could work together to play a role in carbon capture and sequestration.

“At some point, we could employ a MOF to capture CO2, followed by a catalyst converting it into something more beneficial,” Farha suggested. “A tandem system utilizing two distinct materials for two sequential steps could be the way forward.”

“This could help us answer the question: ‘What do we do with captured CO 2 ?’” Khoshooei added. “Right now, the plan is to sequester it underground. But underground reservoirs must meet many requirements in order to safely and permanently store CO 2 . We wanted to design a more universal solution that can be used anywhere while adding economic value.”

Farha is a member of the  International Institute for Nanotechology  and a faculty affiliate of the  Paula M. Trienens Institute for Sustainability and Energy .

The study was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, the National Science Foundation and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada.

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© 2021 Northwestern University | Judd A. and Marjorie Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences | 1918 Sheridan Road Evanston, IL 60208

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EPA implements new regulations for 'forever chemicals.' What does that mean for Louisiana's water?

The Environmental Protection Agency recently implemented rules that aim to reduce the amount of PFAS, or "forever chemicals," Americans are exposed to.

Because Louisiana is one of the states that has not established its own regulations, it will be subject to the federal government's standards.

Here's what we know about the prevalence of PFAS in Louisiana and what the new rules will mean for the state’s drinking water.

What are PFAS?

PFAS — which stands for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances — are a class of human-made chemical compounds. They are also known as “forever chemicals” because they do not break down over time. There are thousands of these chemicals and they are widespread in our soil, water and even food.

PFAS have been used in many products since the 1950s. Their danger to human health was not known publicly until the 90s, but a recent review of industry documents suggests that the chemical industry knew about their toxicity as early as the 70s.

We now know that PFAS are linked to several health issues, including kidney and liver cancer, pregnancy problems and more .

Are PFAS in our drinking water?

The EPA issued standards for six different types of PFAS in drinking water. Under the new limits, utilities will now have to test for PFAS and filter them out. The agency expects this will prevent exposure for around 100 million people who rely on public drinking water systems nationwide.

In Louisiana, PFAS have been documented in the Mississippi River, from which many of the state’s residents get their drinking water. The Water Collaborative of Greater New Orleans, a nonprofit, detected PFAS in the river near the stretch of land where many chemical plants are located, often called “Cancer Alley.” Some of the test results showed levels higher than the federal limits.

“The fact that we found it in five separate locations across the lower river system from Pointe-Coupee Parish to Orleans Parish, it feels significant,” said Rebecca Malpass, the nonprofit’s research and policy director.

She said living along the river’s farthest southern stretch means Louisianans aren’t just vulnerable to pollution from Cancer Alley, but also pollution that occurs further upstream. The company 3M, which makes products such as sticky notes, tape and masks, was sued for contaminating the Mississippi in Illinois with PFAS.

“All of that municipal and industrial pollution that's coming down from 41% of the continental U.S., is coming to us through our water,” said Malpass.

The Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans said its data shows PFAS levels under the EPA’s new limits. A spokesperson said that means the utility is not required to take any action, but the utility is reviewing its entire system and will include PFAS in its plan for upgrades. It is also pursuing funding for the issue.

There are billions of dollars available in federal funding for addressing PFAS. Malpass said the state should be going after it.

“I think that's going to be really important so that the financial burden isn't passed down to ratepayers,” she said.

Who is responsible for the cleanup?

Louisiana’s chemical industry could also be impacted by the EPA’s new standards. The EPA added two widely used PFAS, called PFOA and PFOS, to the hazardous substances list. That means that under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act, also known as Superfund , companies can now be investigated and forced to pay for their PFAS pollution.

Kayla Weiser-Burton, an attorney at Whitney and Dorsey who specializes in environmental compliance, said she expects chemical companies in Louisiana to be affected, especially the ones associated with Dow Chemical Company.

“It's really that industrial group specifically that I think are going to have to analyze what it is that they're currently using in their products and their processes,” she said, “and whether there's a way to shift away from PFAS.”

But she also expects companies to fight back and challenge the rule.

“I think opponents are likely going to argue that EPA did not adequately consider the costs of the implementation of this rule, which is in direct violation of their statutory authority,” she said.

The EPA said it will focus on facilities that are releasing a significant amount of PFAS into the environment. But because PFAS are so widespread in the nation’s soil and water already, it will be challenging to determine which companies are responsible for putting it there.

How can you protect yourself?

Unfortunately, using bottled water is not a reliable way to avoid exposure. The International Bottled Water Association does claim that its members test for PFAS annually . But a study by Johns Hopkins University researchers found that many bottled water brands are not safe from PFAS. Out of the 101 products they tested, 31 contained PFAS.

“No matter where bottled water comes from, it's largely unregulated,” said Amy Lesen, a researcher at the Minority Health and Health Disparities Research Center at Dillard University.

Lesen recommends researching at-home water filters to suit your needs. Reverse osmosis filters reduce PFAS by an average of 94% according to a study from Duke University and North Carolina State University , but are generally more expensive. Activated carbon filters tend to be cheaper, but their effectiveness varies from filter to filter. Overall, carbon filters reduce PFAS by an average of 73%.

To help decide which filter might be best for you, the Environmental Working Group has a guide for selecting a water filter .

Lesen also said we can help make sure the new rules are actually followed.

“The onus is really on the elected appointed officials and our legal system in Louisiana, and us as residents, to put pressure on our leaders to enforce these new regulations."

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Do I get a refund if I paid off my HECS last year? How do I get the payment?

Nicole from Sydney was out with friends when she found out the federal government had made changes to the way HECS or HELP loans were indexed.

She was shocked, and not in a good way.

"My gut dropped because I'd just paid off $36,000."

Nicole's student debt was affecting her ability to buy her first home.

"The difference that my having a HECS debt made to my borrowing power was close to $100,000. Obviously, with house prices the way that they are at the moment, not having that extra $100,000 of borrowing capacity was the difference between me being able to buy a property and not being able to buy a property," Nicole explained.

So, she decided to pay the debt off, using the savings she'd earmarked for her home deposit.

That payment went through on May 2, just days before the federal government announced it would tie indexation to either CPI or the wage price index (WPI), whichever was lower, and backdate the change to last year.

The change would see indexation for the previous year slashed from 7.1 per cent, to 3.2 per cent.

The tax office will apply credits to current and former students' loans to reflect the lower rate.

Paying WPI instead of CPI on last year's debt would have saved Nicole around $1,600. But paying it off in a lump sum means she has no tax office debt to credit.

She got in touch with Hack to find out if she'll get any of that money back.

Do I get backpay if paid my HECS off last year?

In a word, yes.

We asked the office of Federal Education Minister Jason Clare for a bit more detail.

"Anyone who paid off their HELP loan during the year will receive an indexation credit once legislation has passed and the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) has processed the indexation credit," a spokesperson for the minister said.

"Individuals who have fully paid their HELP loan may receive their indexation credit as a cash refund, if they have no other tax liability."

In other words, if you don't owe the tax office any money this year, you could be getting a nice tax return.

How do I get the credit on my loan?

The 'credit' — which is the difference between the amount of money you paid when the loan was calculated under CPI, versus what it is now under WPI, will be applied by the tax office automatically.

Essentially, it'll be used to draw down your overall loan.

But if you don't have a loan because you paid it off, like Nicole, you could get it back in the form of a return when you lodge your tax this year.

Retrospective changes 'frustrating'

It's important to note that only people who were subject to last year's 7.1 per cent indexation are eligible for a credit.

Thomas from Melbourne sought advice from his accountant before deciding to raid his savings and pay off a whopping $45,000 in debt in May last year – weeks before the 7.1 per cent indexation was applied.

"I paid off prior to the 7.1 per cent indexation being applied to avoid incurring an extra approximately $3,500 being applied to my HECS debt," Thomas told Hack.

"However, if it was known that the indexation was to be changed to be the lower of CPI or WPI, that would've informed my decision and I would not have voluntarily repaid, instead, retaining the sum to put towards a house deposit."

Thomas acknowledges that the changes will be positive for a lot of people but says it's "frustrating" that the government applied the changes retrospectively.

"How can young people best plan, financially, for the future, when the government moves the goal posts?"

Just under 3 million Australians have a HECS or HELP debt, and the federal government says lowering the rate of indexation will cost the federal budget around $3 billion in revenue foregone.

HECS and HELP indexation is applied annually, every June – and the effect of its addition is to bump up the amount owed, in line with inflation.

The 7.1 per cent rise last year, based on CPI — which the government, under the change, is now reversing – was the highest hike since 1990.

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