When word of a verdict in the Rod Blagojevich retrial came out Monday morning, the Chicago Tribune started scrambling staff and implementing long-held plans for coverage. Here's a flavor of what happens when big (but anticipated) news breaks..
During that time, reporter Bob Secter called from the Dirksen Federal Building to say that the jurors had reached a unanimous verdict on 18 of 20 counts, and could not agree on the remaining two counts. That alert went out by 10:26 a.m. to our Breaking News site.
Reporters Secter, Jeff Coen and Annie Sweeney were at the federal courthouse. Also sent to the courthouse were reporters Stacy St. Clair, who had live-tweeted earlier testimony in the case, and John Chase, who had been part of the Tribune's lengthy series of political investigative stories of the Blagojevich administration prior to the former governor's arrest.
Back in the Tribune tower, Business columnist and rewrite man Rex Huppke sat down at the Breaking News Desk to take in feeds from those reporters and weave them throughout the day into a coherent narrative of events.
The photo desk was also scrambling. Photo assignment editor Mario Petitti dispatched Michael Tercha (with a folding ladder) to the media pen in the lobby of the federal courthouse. Photographers Alex Garcia and Zbigniew Bzdak were stationed outside the building to record arrivals. ("I've got one guy on the right and one guy on the left," Petitti said.) Antonio Perez was assigned to cover the Jury Room, should any jurors conspicuously arrive or depart. (Unlikely.) and Jason Wambsgans was sent to the Blagojevich family's Ravenswood Manor home. Terrence James will join him later.
As this was happening, Judge Zagel indicated that a verdict would be read sometime after 1 p.m.
And at our 11 a.m. Page One meeting, Editor Gerould Kern and Managing Editor Jane Hirt led a quick meeting that would determine the space dedicated to a story that already had at least 11 "slugs" -- potential stories and informational graphics, as well as installments from Tribune columnists.
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