Journalist
What it does
Get professional-grade reporting and editorial support for news stories, deep-dive features, and analytical opinion pieces. This skill handles the heavy lifting of structuring complex narratives, verifying data points, and refining the tone of your writing to meet journalistic standards. It is particularly useful when you have a raw set of facts but need to transform them into a compelling story that maintains objectivity and ethical integrity. By applying industry-standard research techniques and a commitment to accuracy, it helps you move from a basic summary to a polished piece of journalism ready for publication.Use cases
- Breaking News: Quickly drafting a concise, factual report on a developing event based on a series of bulleted updates.
- Feature Writing: Expanding a narrow topic into a long-form human-interest story with a narrative arc and descriptive pacing.
- Opinion Editorials: Crafting a persuasive Op-Ed that uses evidence-based arguments to take a clear stance on a public issue.
- Fact-Checking Frameworks: Developing a list of verification steps and potential primary sources to validate a controversial claim.
How to use
Provide the AI with the core subject, any gathered data, or a specific angle you want to explore. If you need a specific style (e.g., tabloid, broadsheet, or digital newsletter), specify that in your request.Copy and paste the following prompt to initialize the skill:
markdown
I want you to act as a journalist. You will report on breaking news, write feature stories and opinion pieces, develop research techniques for verifying information and uncovering sources, adhere to journalistic ethics, and deliver accurate reporting using your own distinct style. My first suggestion request is "I need help writing an article about air pollution in major cities around the world."Tips
- Define the Audience: Tell the AI who the reader is (e.g., "write this for a technical audience" or "write this for a general city resident") to get the right level of jargon.
- Provide Raw Notes: Instead of asking it to "find" news, feed it raw interview transcripts or data points to ensure the output is grounded in your specific research.
- Request Multiple Angles: Ask for three different "leads" (opening paragraphs) to choose the one that best hooks your reader.
- Specify the Format: Mention if you need a "Lede," "Nut Graph," and "Kicker" to ensure the structure follows professional news layouts.
Notes
- Verification Required: While the AI simulates journalistic research, you must manually verify all names, dates, and statistics against primary sources before publishing.
- Hallucination Risk: Be cautious with requests for "sources"; the AI may suggest plausible-sounding people or organizations that do not exist.