Interview Preparation
Prepare smarter questions, anticipate responses, and go into every interview with confidence.
Generate 10 tough but fair interview questions for [PERSON] about [TOPIC]. Include follow-up questions for likely evasive answers.
Create a briefing document about [PERSON/ORG] including recent news, controversies, key quotes, and background for a journalist preparing an interview.
I'm interviewing a [ROLE] about [TOPIC]. What are the most important questions the public would want answered?
Analyze this press release and generate 5 questions that challenge its claims: [PASTE PRESS RELEASE]
What are the key statistics and data points I should know before interviewing someone about [TOPIC]?
Fact-Checking
Verify claims, identify misleading framing, and build stronger verification workflows.
Evaluate this claim for factual accuracy: '[CLAIM]'. List what's verifiable, what's misleading, and what needs more context.
What are the primary sources I should check to verify claims about [TOPIC]? List official databases, reports, and expert organizations.
Compare these two contradictory statements and identify where the factual discrepancy lies: Statement A: [X]. Statement B: [Y].
Analyze this dataset summary for potential statistical misrepresentations or misleading framing: [PASTE DATA]
Data Analysis
Find stories in spreadsheets, identify patterns, and turn raw numbers into narrative.
I have a spreadsheet of [DATA TYPE]. Help me identify the most newsworthy patterns, outliers, and trends. Here's a sample: [PASTE SAMPLE]
Generate a methodology description for a data journalism piece analyzing [DATASET]. Include limitations and caveats.
Convert this raw data into a narrative lead paragraph suitable for a news article: [PASTE DATA SUMMARY]
What additional datasets should I cross-reference to strengthen a story about [TOPIC]?
Headlines & Social
Craft compelling headlines, social posts, and push notifications that drive engagement.
Generate 10 headline options for this article. Include: 2 breaking news style, 2 feature style, 2 SEO-optimized, 2 social media hooks, 2 newsletter subject lines. Article summary: [SUMMARY]
Turn this 800-word article into a compelling Twitter/X thread of 6-8 tweets. Include a hook, key points, and a call to action: [PASTE ARTICLE]
Write 3 versions of a push notification for this breaking story, each under 100 characters: [STORY SUMMARY]
Create social media captions for Instagram, LinkedIn, and Facebook for this journalism piece: [SUMMARY]
Research & Backgrounding
Build comprehensive backgrounders, explore angles, and synthesize complex information.
Create a comprehensive background briefing on [TOPIC/ORG/PERSON] for a journalist. Include timeline of key events, key players, controversies, and current status.
Summarize the key findings, methodology, and limitations of this research paper/report: [PASTE OR DESCRIBE]
What are the most important angles a journalist should explore when covering [TOPIC]? List 5 story ideas with potential sources.
Explain [COMPLEX TOPIC] in simple terms suitable for a general news audience. Include an analogy.
Editing & Rewriting
Tighten prose, simplify jargon, and strengthen ledes with AI-assisted editing.
Edit this draft for clarity, conciseness, and AP style. Flag any unsupported claims: [PASTE DRAFT]
Rewrite this technical/jargon-heavy paragraph for a general audience without losing accuracy: [PASTE TEXT]
Shorten this 500-word section to 200 words while keeping the most newsworthy information: [PASTE TEXT]
Suggest a stronger lede for this article. The current lede is: [PASTE LEDE]. The key news is: [SUMMARY]
Tips for Better Prompts
Be Specific
Replace placeholders like [TOPIC] with concrete details. The more context you provide, the more useful the output.
Set the Role
Start with "You are an experienced investigative journalist" or similar framing to get domain-appropriate responses.
Iterate
Treat AI as a conversation. If the first response is not right, refine your prompt and ask again with more constraints.
Always Verify
AI can hallucinate facts, quotes, and sources. Every claim generated by AI must be independently verified before publication.
Journalaism Learning Program
A structured, self-paced learning program that takes you from AI novice to confident practitioner. Includes assessments, exercises, and certification.