Centralized but devolved. Integrated pods. Platform-neutral editors. All key concepts in creating the new, new newsroom. Innovation is so last month. Meetings are also old school. New term is ‘checkpoints.’ Crafty consultants with their smoke screen terminology. Check out a story about a streamlined Guardian in their better building here. Fancy floor plan. The photographers must be in the basement somewhere.

The Guardian has merged online and print reporters and editors into beat pods. That is the devolution part of the integration. The pod is run by a platform-neutral editor. I’ll admit that at first read, I assumed ‘platform-neutral’ was another way to say ‘objective journalist.’ No. Less ethics more brand. The lead pod editors aren’t online or print loyal but rather their alliance is to the total Guardian brand. No territory grabs. Goal is to get news up and out as efficient as possible.

The Guardian gets the Monday Happy Nugget nod for mixing up organization and delivery systems. Company broke the mold of the traditional newsroom set-up and rearranged the working style of nearly 850 journalists without much reduction in staff. Over 100 staffers helped craft the plan. Now that is bloody brilliant.

-Sarah Evans