AI Prompts for Journalists & Media

"Create a template for converting a raw interview transcript into a 900-word feature article with a narrative arc. The template should specify: how to select the strongest opening quote for the lede, how to weave in context and background between quotes, how to structure the article (hook, context, body with 3 key themes, forward-looking close), when to use direct quotes vs. paraphrase, and how to handle off-the-record comments. Demonstrate by converting this sample exchange into article form: 'Q: Why did you decide to leave the company? A: Look, I loved the mission. But when I saw the data on what was happening to user privacy, I couldn't stay silent. Q: What specifically did you see? A: Internal dashboards showing we were selling location data to brokers. Nobody consented to that.'"

"Create a template for summarizing a lengthy government or industry report into a newsletter-ready format. The summary should include: a 1-sentence bottom line, 5 key takeaways (each 2 sentences max), one surprising or controversial finding that would make a good headline, 2 data points worth visualizing, and a 'what this means for you' section for the target audience. Demonstrate with a hypothetical 60-page FTC report on AI-generated content and consumer deception, including made-up but realistic statistics."

"From the following interview transcript, extract the 5 most newsworthy quotes. For each quote: (1) provide the exact quote, (2) rate its news value (high/medium), (3) explain in one sentence why it matters, (4) suggest the context paragraph that should precede it in an article, and (5) flag any quotes that need legal review before publication. Sample transcript of a hospital CEO discussing a data breach: 'We first learned about the breach on March 3rd. No wait, it might have been late February. The vendor told us it was contained. We trusted them. In hindsight, we should have notified patients sooner. The 60-day delay was... regrettable. About 340,000 records were accessed. We are offering credit monitoring.'"

"Generate 12 headline options for an article about how rising interest rates are pricing first-time homebuyers out of the market in mid-sized American cities. Create 3 headlines in each of these tones: (1) Serious/authoritative for the homepage, (2) Clickable/curiosity-driven for social media, (3) SEO-optimized with target keywords for search, (4) Neutral/wire-service style for syndication. For each headline, note the character count and which platform it's best suited for. Flag the single strongest headline overall and explain why."

"Create a comprehensive source verification checklist for investigative journalists. Cover: (1) verifying a source's identity and claimed position, (2) assessing motivations and potential biases, (3) corroborating claims with at least 2 independent sources, (4) document authentication steps (metadata check, chain of custody), (5) digital verification tools for photos and videos (reverse image search, EXIF data), (6) public records databases to cross-reference claims, and (7) red flags that suggest fabrication. Format as a printable checklist with yes/no items and escalation criteria for when to involve an editor."

"Draft a FOIA request to the US Department of Transportation seeking all emails, memos, and meeting notes between the Secretary's office and registered lobbying firms representing the highway construction industry regarding the Interstate Highway Expansion Program from January 2023 to present. Reference the relevant statutes (5 U.S.C. 552), request a fee waiver on public interest grounds citing your publication's readership and the public significance of the records, specify the preferred format for electronic records, and include language narrowing the scope to avoid an overbroad rejection."

"Generate 15 interview questions for the CEO of a social media company facing a data privacy scandal where user location data was sold to third-party advertisers without consent. Include 5 accountability questions (what did you know and when), 5 technical questions about their data practices (architecture, consent flows, third-party access), and 5 forward-looking questions about policy changes. For each question, include a suggested follow-up if the CEO gives a vague or deflecting answer, and note which questions are most likely to produce a usable quote."

"Create a template for writing a breaking news brief in under 10 minutes from raw, unverified information. The template should include: a 1-sentence lede answering who/what/when/where, a 'what we know' section (confirmed facts only), a 'what we don't know yet' section (unanswered questions), attribution standards for each claim, a 'developing story' disclaimer, and placeholder sections for updates. Demonstrate with this raw info: 'Major tech company laying off ~2000 employees, internal email leaked to press, CEO memo mentions AI restructuring, stock down 4% pre-market, union rep says no prior notice given.'"

"Write a compelling 10-tweet thread breaking down the implications of a hypothetical Supreme Court ruling that limits federal agencies' power to interpret ambiguous laws (overturning Chevron deference). The first tweet should be a strong hook under 200 characters. Each subsequent tweet should cover one aspect: what the ruling means in plain English, who it affects most, historical context (what Chevron was), immediate impacts on pending regulations, expert reaction quotes (placeholder), what happens next, and a closing tweet with a call to follow for updates. Note which tweets should include graphics or charts."

"Draft a pitch email to an editor at a major tech publication proposing an investigative story about the working conditions of data labelers who train AI models in East Africa and Southeast Asia. Include: a compelling lede that hooks the editor in the first sentence, the scope of the investigation (how many workers, which companies), 3 key findings you expect to uncover based on preliminary reporting, why the timing is right (tie to current AI news cycle), your unique access or sourcing advantage, estimated word count (3,000-4,000), a proposed timeline for delivery, and a brief author bio. Keep it under 400 words total."

"Write a step-by-step guide for a journalist with basic Python knowledge to analyze a publicly available city budget dataset (CSV format) using pandas. Cover: loading and inspecting the data, cleaning common issues (missing values, inconsistent department names, currency formatting), calculating year-over-year spending changes by department, identifying the top 5 largest budget increases and decreases, flagging any departments with spending growth above 20%, and creating a publication-ready bar chart. Include the complete Python code with comments explaining each step."

"Analyze the following journalism ethics dilemma: A reporter has obtained leaked internal documents from a major pharmaceutical company showing they downplayed side effects of a widely used medication. Publishing the documents would serve the public interest but could reveal the identity of the source, a mid-level employee with a family who could face retaliation. Apply the SPJ Code of Ethics framework (Seek Truth, Minimize Harm, Act Independently, Be Accountable), weigh the public interest against source protection, and recommend a specific course of action with steps to minimize harm to the source while still publishing the story."