Every newspaper has its own publishing process. Surf CMS helps your newsroom work more efficiently by providing flexible editorial workflows that guide stories from the first draft to final publication.
Whether your publication has a single editor or multiple departments reviewing every story, Surf CMS gives you complete control over how content moves through your newsroom.
Build a Workflow That Fits Your Newsroom
No two newspapers operate exactly alike. Surf CMS allows you to create editorial workflows that match your organization's policies and approval process.
A typical workflow might include:
- Draft
- In Review
- Copy Editing
- Fact Checking
- Ready for Approval
- Approved
- Scheduled
- Published
- Archived
You can customize workflow stages to fit your publication's needs.
Role-Based Approvals
Different staff members can be responsible for different stages of the publishing process.
For example:
- Reporters create stories.
- Editors review content.
- Copy editors check grammar and style.
- Managing editors approve publication.
- Publishers oversee the final product.
Each user only sees the workflow actions they have permission to perform.
Prevent Accidental Publishing
Editorial workflows help ensure stories are reviewed before they go live. Drafts remain private until the appropriate staff member approves them for publication, reducing the risk of unfinished or incorrect content appearing on your website.
Track Story Progress
At a glance, editors can see where every article is in the publishing process.
Know instantly whether a story is:
- Waiting for review
- Being edited
- Ready for approval
- Scheduled for publication
- Already published
- Archived
This improves newsroom communication and keeps projects moving.
Schedule Content with Confidence
Once approved, stories can be published immediately or scheduled for a future date and time. This is especially useful for:
- Weekly editions
- Feature stories
- Opinion columns
- Community announcements
- Embargoed news
- Special sections
Editors remain in complete control of when content becomes available.
Collaboration Made Easy
Editorial workflows support collaboration across your newsroom by allowing multiple staff members to contribute while maintaining a clear approval process.
Writers, editors, photographers, designers, and publishers can all work together without losing track of who is responsible for the next step.
Flexible for Any Size Newsroom
Whether your organization has:
- A single editor
- A small weekly newspaper staff
- Multiple editors
- Separate news and sports departments
- Regional publications with distributed teams
Surf CMS can support workflows that match the way your newsroom operates.
Improve Accuracy and Efficiency
A structured editorial process helps reduce errors, improve communication, and ensure every story receives the appropriate level of review before publication.
From breaking news to investigative reporting, editorial workflows help your newsroom publish with confidence.
Better Workflows. Better Journalism.
Great journalism depends on teamwork. Surf CMS gives your newsroom the tools to collaborate efficiently, manage approvals, and publish with confidence through flexible editorial workflows designed specifically for community newspapers.
Streamline your newsroom. Create custom editorial workflows that improve collaboration, simplify approvals, and help every story move smoothly from draft to publication.