Create and manage authors

In most cases, an author should be a person. An author might also be a third-party news agency (such as Reuters or Associated Press).

We do not suggest using the names of specific language services as authors. This approach implies that the content is editorial (representing the opinion of the service as a whole), which is normally not the case.

To create a new author:

1. Select + Add new.
2. Add the author settings.
3. Hit Save or Save & close.

The author is now included on the approved list of for your site. This means:

• The author can be added to content pages.
• A bio page for the author is published.

You can also create a new author by clicking Upload > Author on the edit page for a story. When you use this option, the Author settings open in a new dialog, so you will not lose any unsaved work.

To open an author bio page:

1. Find the author on the list.
2. Hover over the panel, and hit the Live site button.

The bio page opens in a new tab. To learn more about author bio pages, go to the following chapter in this article:

• Author bio pages

When you remove an author:

• The author name is no longer visible on published content pages or in the search on the public site.
• The author bio page is unpublished.
• The author cannot be added to more content pages.

Remove an author if you do not want the name to be visible on the public site.

To remove an individual author:

1. Find the author on the list.
2. Hover over the panel, and hit the Remove button.

The author is now removed. Because of caching rules on Pangea websites, it might take up to 5 minutes before the updates are visible on the public site.

When an author is inactive:

• The author is still shown on content pages.
• The author bio page remains published.
• The author cannot be added to more content pages.

Make an author inactive if you will not need to add the name to more content pages (for example, if the author no longer works for your organization).

To make an author inactive:

1. Find the author on the list.
2. Hover over the panel, and hit the Edit button.

   

3. Select Inactive in the status selector. Then, hit Save or Save & close.

   

The author is now inactive and cannot be added to more content pages.

To update the settings for an author:

1. Find the author on the list.
2. Hover over the panel, and hit the Edit button.
3. Update the author settings.
4. Hit Save or Save & close.

The author settings are now updated. Because of caching rules on Pangea websites, it might take up to 5 minutes before the updates are visible on the public site.

If multiple entries have been created in error for the same author, you can merge the duplicate entries and keep just one. After you confirm the merge:

• All content is reassigned to the kept author.
• On content pages, the kept author replaces the duplicates.
• Only the bio page for the kept author remains published.
• Duplicates are removed from the approved authors list.

To merge a group of authors:

1. Tick each author you want to merge.

   

2. Under Select action, select Merge. Then, hit Apply.

   

3. In the Authors list, mark the author to keep under Select.

   

4. Under Settings, optionally update the settings for the kept author.

   

5. When you are satisfied, hit Merge or Merge & close.

   

The authors are now merged. Because of caching rules on Pangea websites, it might take up to 5 minutes before the updates are visible on the public site.

You can add different versions of the author's name. These names all serve different purposes. The only required field is 'Last name'. Find an overview of the different options below:

• Last name (required): The author's real last name. If the author doesn't have separated first and last names, enter the name here. The last name is displayed on the public site if a 'pen name' is not set.
• First name: The author's real first name. The first name is displayed on the public site if a 'pen name' is not set.
• Pen name: The author's pen name (or alias). This option is useful if the author needs to remain anonymous. If a pen name is set, the pen name is displayed on the public site instead of the author's real name. To set the pen name, it is essential to tick Replace first / last name. If this option is not ticked, the pen name will not be displayed on the public site.
• English name: The anglicized version of the author's name. This option is useful if the name uses non-Latin script (for example, Cyrillic). The English name is only displayed internally in Pangea CMS. The English name is searchable in Pangea and might be helpful for Pangea users who cannot read your local language.

NOTE: The Contributor ID field is redundant for all entities except RFE/RL. If you need a contributor ID, contact the RFE/RL Finance Department.

Under Contributor ID, you might enter a valid contributor ID.

If a valid contributor ID is provided, the author can be assigned to a piece of content as a contributor. Contributor names are visible internally for RFE/RL payroll but are not displayed or used anywhere on the public site.

Under Email, optionally provide a contact email address. To display the email on the public site, tick Display Email. If this option is not ticked, the email will only be visible internally in Pangea CMS.

When Display Email is ticked, the email address is displayed:

• On the author bio page
• In the author highlight

Tick Display email if the author is happy to receive comment and opinion from readers.

You can provide links to social media profiles:

• Facebook username: Enter the username for the author's Facebook profile.
• X (Twitter) handle: Enter the handle (without @) for the author's X (Twitter) profile.

If you add profiles, the links will be available on the public site in the following places:

• On the author bio page
• In the author highlight

The username / handle is shown at the end of the public URL for the profile.

If you tick Highlight author, the author highlight will be shown automatically on all supported content pages where the author is added.

To learn more about author highlights, go to the following chapter in this article:

• Author highlight

If you tick Highlight author, you should also add a Short description. Otherwise, the highlight will not include a description.

Generate content is ticked by default.

When Generate content is ticked, the following rules apply:

• The author name on content pages acts as a link to the bio page.
• The bio page includes a list of recently published content.

Under Description, provide the full author biography. This version of the description is displayed on the author bio page. Although it is not required, we strongly recommend providing a description for every author.

Write the description in third person. At minimum, include the author name (or pen name), job title, and the organization they represent, for example:

• John Doe is a correspondent for RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service.

You might also mention:

• Specific experience and expertise
• Work history / professional background
• Interests
• Special projects
• Educational background and relevant qualifications
• Special awards and achievements

NOTE: Only include information that the author is happy to share. If the author needs to remain anonymous, ensure you do not include information that might identify them personally.

Under Image, select an image to represent the author on the public site. You might use actual photo of the author or the service logo. If you do not select an image, a generic avatar will be displayed on the public site.

If the image you want to use is saved on your device, you first need to manually upload the image to the Pangea Graphic Database. For instructions, see the following article:

• Upload images

Under Short description, you can provide a shortened version of the author biography. We suggest using no more than 2-3 sentences. You should provide this text if Highlight author is ticked.

If the full author biography (added under Description) is reasonably short, you might use the same text for the 'Description' and 'Short description'. However, you need to manually add the text in both boxes.

The Short description will be displayed in the author highlight.

To add one or more authors, select Add authors or the Editor subpage.

Click inside the Authors box and start typing to find a specific author. Search for and select every author you want to add to the page.

You might search for an author using any of the following names:

• Last name
• First name
• Pen name
• English name

Every author has a last name, which is set from the author settings in Pangea CMS. Other variants (such as 'pen name') are not provided for every author. For more information about the different versions of the author name, go to the following chapter in this article:

• Add author settings

You can select names from the approved authors list for your site. To learn how to add a new author to the list, go to the following chapter in this article:

• Manage authors

To add one or more authors, select Authors, contributors in the left panel.

Click inside the Authors box and start typing to find a specific author. Search for and select every author you want to add to the page.

You might search for an author using any of the following names:

• Last name
• First name
• Pen name
• English name

Every author has a last name, which is set from the author settings in Pangea CMS. Other variants (such as 'pen name') are not provided for every author. For more information about the different versions of the author name, go to the following chapter in this article:

• Add author settings

You can select names from the approved authors list for your site. To learn how to add a new author to the list, go to the following chapter in this article:

• Manage authors

To enable highlights for an individual author, tick Highlight author in the author settings in Pangea CMS.

When this option is enabled, the author highlight will be shown automatically on all supported content pages where the author is added.

An author highlight might show the following data:

• (A): Name: The author's real name or a pen name.
• (B): Image: An actual photo of the author or the service logo.
• (C): Short description: The shortened version of the biography.
• (D): Email: A contact email address.
• (E): Follow: Links to social media profiles.

The data on the highlight (image, description, and so on) comes from the author settings in Pangea CMS. To learn how to set up each element, go to the following chapter in this article:

• Add author settings